NEW DELHI: Army Chief Gen V K Singh has called for the entire record of his case and sought a writ in the nature of certiorari quashing an order dated July 21, 2007, of the Union of India on his age.
The Army Chief was appointed on April 1, 2010, and despite his age record being contested by Gen Singh, the government stuck to its stand and said his date of birth was May 10, 1950. If Singh’s petition is allowed, he would be able to serve the country for another 10 months.
The issue initially cropped up in 2006 when Singh was being considered to command an Army corps.
Defence Minister AK Antony also relied on the recommendation of the Attorney General, who considered the request of Gen Singh not to accede to the plea at this stage in his career, as it would invite a legal tangle and upset succession. Singh also sought the opinion of a former solicitor general who favoured his plea, he stated in his petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He also got support from several ex-servicemen associations and retired personnel, including former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Amarinder Singh wrote to Antony on the issue. Grenadiers, Rohtak Chapter, also moved the court in support of Gen Singh.
Gen Singh’s SC petition says that on July 21, 2011, the Defence Ministry had set aside an order of the Adjutant General’s Branch of February 25, 2011 that recognized his date of birth as May 10, 1951.