MoD refers Lt Gen’s complaint for promotion to Law Ministry

History is repeating itself in the war for the top post of the Indian Army. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday referred the statutory complaint by Lt Gen Ravi Dastane against appointment of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as the Eastern Army Commander to the Law Ministry.

 

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Lt Gen Dastane had filed a statutory complaint with the Defence Ministry of August 6, as to why Eastern Army Command bordering China was kept vacant after Lt Gen Suhag – senior to him on June 1 – became ineligible for promotion due to imposition of Disciplinary and Vigilance (DV) ban.

According to sources, the Defence Ministry that was bound to reply to the complaint with a period of 90 days has referred it to Law Ministry for advice. In 2011, the Defence Ministry had referred former Army Chief General VK Singh’s complaint for reducing his age by a year for legal advice. The Law Ministry had opined against the former Army Chief’s request and the ensuing developments climaxed with General VK Singh dragging the government to the Supreme Court over his age.

The ongoing issue stems from the decision taken by the General VK Singh during his last week in the office to impose a DV ban on Lt Gen Suhag – then the Commander of Dimapur-based 3 Corps – thereby stalling his promotion as the Eastern Army Commander. The attempt was seen in the Defence establishment to alter the seniority-based succession line in the 1.1 million-strong army as the move had thwarted the chances of Lt Gen Suhag to become Army Chief after incumbent General Bikram Singh.

The Defence Ministry bid its time and waited for General VK Singh to superannuate and General Bikram Singh to reverse the DV ban. After two weeks of keeping the Eastern Army Commander vacant, Lt Gen Suhag was appointed its Chief following an approval from the Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

The argument of Lt Gen Dastane – who is presently the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff - is that after Lt Gen Suhag became ineligible due to DV ban, he should have been appointed the Eastern Army Commander for being the next senior-most officer.

Sources in the Defence Ministry, however, says that the intention was “not to inflict injustice” to Lt Gen Dastane, but “to do justice” to Lt Gen Suhag.

With the Lt Gen Dastane making his intent public that he will take the government to the court if his grievances are not addressed, the Indian Army finds itself in the thick of the storm even as the dust on the year-long battle for age by the former Army Chief General VK Singh has barely settled down.

The infighting amongst the top brass of the second-largest standing army is again threatening to be played in full public view as sources close to Lt Gen Suhag indicated that the officer is also gearing up to move a caveat in the court on Lt Gen Dastane’s petition so that his argument is also heard before passing a judgement.

Sources also indicate that technically Lt Gen Dastane might be on a strong ground as he is claiming that imposition of DV ban was an individual officer’s problem and the system should have taken its own course as per norms.
 

Earlier this year in January, General (retired) VK Singh had dragged the government to the court claiming he was a year younger than as maintained by the Defence Ministry that effectively curtailed his tenure as the Army Chief by a year.

Another succession storm brewing in Indian Army

It is again going to be an all out war for the top post of the Indian Army. As top army officer Lt Gen Ravi Dastane is contemplating to move the court over stalling of his appointment as the Eastern Army Commander the incumbent Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is bracing to file a Caveat petition.

 Lt Gen Ravi Dastane

Four months ago the Indian Army had put an ugly year-long age-controversy between the Army Chief General VK Singh and the Defence Ministry behind it. But, the clashes in the top brass over promotion are again haunting the 1.1 million-strong Indian Army.

The current episode has its roots in the age controversy of the previous Indian Army Chief General VK Singh. General VK Singh on his last day in the office had imposed a Disciplinary and Vigilance (DV) ban on Lt Gen Suhag – at that time the 3 Corps Commander. This technically made Lt Gen Suhag ineligible as Eastern Army Commander; the post fell vacant after General Bikram Singh moved in as the Indian Army Chief.

Lt Gem Dalbir Singh Suhag

The ineligibility of Lt Gen Suhag to get elevated meant that next senior officer in line - Lt Gen Dastane would have been appointed the Eastern Army Commander and would have been in line to become the Army Chief after incumbent General Bikram Singh retired. However, the Defence Ministry and Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) waited for General VK Singh to retire and General Bikram Singh to take over following which the DV ban was lifted and Lt Gen Suhag was given the charge of the Eastern Army Command.

 General Bikram Singh joins hand with Antony?

Presently Lt Gen Dastane’s statutory complaint against stalling of his appointment as Eastern Army Commander is still pending with the Defence Ministry. After it is disposed of Lt Gen Dastane is all geared up to move the court. Sources close to Lt Gen Suhag have indicated that the army commander is also gearing up for filing a Caveat petition so that the court also hears his arguments before passing a judgment in the case. The Defence Ministry is also going to throw its weight behind the Eastern Army Commander.

Lt Gen Dastane had earlier gone to the Army Chief with his complaint. But it was turned down by the force saying the decision was taken by ACC and the Indian Army had no role to play in it.  And the Defence Ministry’s stand was that the DV ban imposed by General VK Singh was aimed at tweaking the traditional seniority-based succession line in the force.

Sources also indicate that technically Lt Gen Dastane might be on a strong ground as he is claiming that imposition of DV ban was an individual officer’s problem and the system should have taken its own course as per norms.

Earlier this year in January, General (retired) VK Singh had dragged the government to the court claiming he was a year younger than as maintained by the Defence Ministry that effectively curtailed his tenure as the Army Chief by a year.

Lt Gen Suhag named Eastern Army Commander

Ending weeks of speculations over the elevation of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag – presently heading the Dimapur-based 3 Corps - the government on Friday announced his appointment as the Commander of strategically important Eastern Army Command. 

Tipped to take over as reins of the 1.2 million-strong Indian Army from the incumbent General Bikram Singh, Lt Gen Suhag’s promotion had come under fire as the outgoing chief General (retd) VK Singh issued a show cause notice to him and put a Disciplinary and Vigilance ban on him thereby stalling his promotion.

“Lt Gen Suhag’s appointment has been cleared and in all likelihoods he will take over as the Eastern Army Commander on Monday,” defence officials said. The announcement has come days after General Singh lifted the DV ban against him paving the path of his promotion.

Suhag should reply to notice rather than going to media: Army Chief

Denying any infighting in top brass of the Indian Army, Army Chief General VK Singh on Friday said that the show cause notice to Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag – slated to take over as Army Chief in 2014, is a routine matter and his junior officer was not justified in “brandishing” it to the media.

Asked if the show cause notice was his “personnel vendetta” against senior Army officer, General Singh told the Defence Express: “Let me tell you some hard facts about the show cause notice. It sent on certain grounds from a senior officer to a junior officer. It is the moral duty of the junior officer to reply to the show cause notice rather than going and brandishing it to the media.”

The General was speaking on the sidelines of a book release function. The book is called “Assault of merit” and chronicles various cases of decorated officers being superseded or short-changed by an insensitive bureaucracy and civil government.

The show cause notice issued by the Army Chief just a week before his retirement has raised quite a few eyebrows in the defence establishment. The incumbent General Officer in Commanding of Dimapur-based 3 Corps, Lt Gen Suhag has been alleged of “abdicating responsibility” in handling an intelligence and surveillance unit in a “most unprofessional and lackadaisical manner”.

Lt Gen Suhag has six days to reply to this show cause notice.

The General has also sought to put a Disciplinary and Vigilance ban on Suhag that will stall his appointment as the Eastern Army Commander after the incumbent and Chief-designate Lt Gen Bikram Singh moves to New Delhi to take over the reins of the 1.2 million-strong Indian Army. In reply to a query that the show cause notice will impinge of the Army’s line of succession, the General remarked: “There is no line of succession in the Indian Army.”

This was the second time that Lt Gen Suhag has come under fired from the Army Chief. Earlier General Singh in his CBI complaint has accused the Lt Gen of misappropriation of funds in purchase of parachutes while heading the Special Frontier Force (SFF) and has requested a probe against him. The accusation came even as the Army Head Quarter under him recommended Lt Gen Suhag for the same post. The Cabinet Secretariat later turned down the request for inquiry as saying the alleged procurement had not been done.

However, the Ministry of Defence - that so far has refrained from interfering in the matter - is said to have taken “cognizance” of the issue. The Defence Ministry says that there has been a precedence of a succeeding Army Chief lifting a DV ban put by his predecessor. Former army chief General Deepak Kapoor had put a DV ban against present Deputy Army Chief Lt Gen RS Halgali only to be revoked by General Singh. General Singh in fact cleared his appointment as Deputy Army Chief.

The Army Chief, who will hang his boots on May 31 after 42 years of eventful and controversy-riddled carrier, also dismissed suggestions of “infighting” amongst the top echelons of the force. “There is no infighting in the Army. Lots of things are unnecessary blown up by the media,” General Singh added. Earlier this year in an interview, the Chief had blown up the lid from the Tatra scam and has alleged that army chiefs before him had taken money.

The Army Chief also dared Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh to produce any evidence whatsoever about the General intercepting the phone calls of the Defence Minister AK Antony and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the peak of the age controversy.”Tell Tejinder Singh to not to spread lies. If he has the evidence, ask him to produce it.”