General court martial recommends dismissal of Major General in sexual harassment case

CHANDIGARH: A general court martial (GCM) has found a Major General guilty in a two-year-old sexual harassment case and recommended his dismissal from service. Sources said the military court headed by a Lieutenant General handed out the verdict at 3.30 AM on Sunday at an Army unit near Chandigarh.

The trail had stated in June this year. The officer was charged under the Army Act read with Section 354 of IPC for conduct unbecoming of an officer. The verdict will be confirmed by the Army Chief. The higher authority has the powers to even change the sentence.

The allegations were levelled against him when he was on deputation to the Assam Rifles as inspector general. When he was posted in Nagaland, a woman captain from the Judge Advocate General's branch had lodged a complaint that he had misbehaved with her after summoning her to his room for work late evening. Denying the allegations during the proceedings, the officer had attributed the case to a group feud in the top echelons of the force.

The major general, who was attached with an Ambala formation during the proceedings, has the right to appeal against the GCM verdict. Earlier he has attached with the 17 Corps at Ranchi under the Eastern Command he had then represented against it for the conduct of disciplinary proceedings and then he was transferred to the Western Command. A case challenging the disciplinary proceedings was also filed by him before the Delhi Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal.