Army scam: Indian Army chief, defence minister meet in Delhi

Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor met defence minister AK Antony here last evening against the backdrop of reports that the latter wants the same yardstick to be applied against all four senior army officers indicted in a land scam in Darjeeling.

The case, in which three lieutenant generals and a major general have been found culpable by an army court of inquiry, is before Gen Kapoor for a final decision on the action to be taken.

One of the indicted officers, Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, is the military secretary to the army chief and considered close to him.

A defence ministry source described Gen Kapoor's meeting with Antony as a "routine" one. The source said Kapoor wanted to brief Antony on his recent visit to Nepal.

But the meeting assumes significance as Antony had reportedly told the army chief recently to apply the same yardstick to all four officers indicted in the Sukna land scam, which involved the grant of a no-objection certificate for sale of a plot of land adjacent to an army station in West Bengal.

Among the four officers, Kapoor has ordered disciplinary action against Lt Gen PK Rath, which could lead to a court martial.

But against Lt Gen Prakash, Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali, and Major Gen PC Sen, Kapoor has ordered administrative action under which the punishment ranges from censure to dismissal.

Gen Prakash, one of the top eight aides of the army chief, will retire from service on January 31. Under the Army Act and Rules, an officer is liable for action up to three years after retirement.