CHENNAI: The Regional Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), Chennai, has upheld the dismissal order of a 32-year-old Army officer for attempting to molest a woman Captain who was treating him at a military hospital.
The petitioner, M Mahalingam, a resident of Vellore district moved the tribunal submitting that his son, M Sathish Kumar was enrolled in the Indian Army on July 30, 2002. Following health problems, on August 15, 2014, Sathish was sent for treatment to a military hospital at 28 Infantry Division, Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. To his shock and surprise, Sathish was arrested on false charges of trying to molest a woman officer
in the hospital, Mahalingam alleged. Subsequently, a District Court Martial sentenced him to one-and-a-half years of RI and dismissed him from the service.
Responding to his petition, the Army filed an affidavit, stating that Sathish Kumar was sent to the hospital as he complained of body ache on August 14, 2014. He was treated by Reena (name changed), a Medical Officer in the rank of Captain, who prescribed him a few medicines. When she was alone, Sathish misbehaved and attempted to outrage her modesty, it said.
When the petition came up, the Bench of Judicial Member Justice V Periya Karuppiah and Administrative Member Lt Gen K Surendra Nath ruled that the conviction and sentence passed by the District Court Martial have been confirmed and dismissed the appeal.