Affidavit against Singh Generates Political Heat

NEW DELHI: A Central government affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court registry in a case challenging Army vice-chief Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag’s promotion as the Eastern Army Commander in June 2012 has become the fodder for the Opposition to attack the NDA Government, after it termed Minister of State V K Singh’s actions as former Army Chief “illegal”.

The affidavit was reportedly filed before the apex court registry during the period of transition of power from the UPA to NDA, when the top law officers of the previous government quit late last month and the new ones took over on Monday.

The apex court, which is now on vacation, is yet to take up the affidavit on record, as the next date of hearing in the case filed by Lt General Ravi Dastane is scheduled in September. The last hearing took place in December 2013, when the court had asked the  Ministry of Defence (MoD) to respond to the petitioner’s contentions.

Dastane moved the apex court after the Armed Forces Tribunal dismissed his petition in 2012, with a nod to approach a higher court.

He claimed that on May 31, 2012, when there was a vacancy for an Army commander’s post, Suhag was under a discipline and vigilance ban imposed by then Army Chief General V K Singh and hence was not eligible to be promoted.

The ban was imposed in May 2012, at the fag end of General V K Singh’s tenure as the Army Chief.

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