NEW DELHI: DALBIR Singh’s promotion as GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, with effect from June 15, 2012, was cleared by General Bikram Singh who had reversed his Disciplinary and Vigilance (DV) ban after General V K Singh retired on May 31, 2012.
“Despite there being no evidence against me at the Court of Inquiry, the show cause notice was issued malafidely. No material whatsoever of attendant circumstances was provided to me. The show cause notice issued, besides suffering from vagueness, was premeditated and also against the principles of natural justice,” Dalbir Singh stated in his 8-page affidavit.
Dalbir Singh was placed under a DV ban by the then COAS V K Singh in 2012 for his alleged failure of command and control after a Court of Inquiry was ordered into an operation carried out in Jorhat, Assam, on the intervening night of December 20 and 21, 2011, by the 3 Corps Intelligence and Surveillance Unit.
Dalbir Singh, who was then the General Officer Commanding of the unit, asserted that the imposition of the DV ban on him and the issuance of a show cause notice by the then COAS was illegal and premeditated.
“It is thus established that I was victimised for extraneous reasons by the then COAS and hence the illegal imposition of the DV ban by the then COAS could not be made the basis by the apellant to challenge my appointment as GOC-in-C, Eastern Command. In fact, it is the answering respondent who is the victim and not the appellant, as is sought to be made by him,” the affidavit stated.