NEW DELHI: Armed Forces Tribunal tells the government to decide on the Statutory Complaint filed by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma by May 15 and has set May 20 as the next date of hearing the matter.
In a first of its kind case where an officer has challenged the appointment of the Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Bimal Verma approached the AFT on April 9 after the Government approved name of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh to take charge as the next Chief of Naval Staff on May 31 post the retirement of Admiral Sunil Lanba who is six months junior to Vice Admiral Verma.
Vice Admiral Verma had again approached the AFT on Tuesday after the defence ministry did not respond to his statutory complaint.
Vice Admiral Verma, commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) on April 8, but withdrew his petition the next day after the tribunal told him to first exhaust "internal remedies".
The Central Government has to decide and communicate it to Vice Admiral Bimal Verma by May 17.
A person present inside the court told, “The judge observed that in case it is not decided by the Central Government as per the court directed time frame then it shall be a deemed rejection of the complaint and it will proceed as per the law before AFT."
The lawyers of the applicant are Rhea Verma and Ankur Chhibber
Vice Admiral Verma is in Delhi to attend the naval commanders' conference which was inaugurated by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.