Retired Army officers react on VK Singh's age row

Hindustan Times
New Delhi, January 16, 2012
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd), former Vice Chief of Army Staff, said: “I am glad that the Chief has approached the court. It is a matter of honour. It will help the Army as it shows he is a strong chief. The ministry of defence should have sorted it out in house. But they took it to media. You cannot play with Chief of Army Staff on technical grounds.”

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (retd), former Vice Chief of Army Staff and Chairman, Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM): “It is unfortunate and unprecedented. He should have resigned and then approached the court. As an individual, he has full justification in seeking justice for him, but it will damage the image of the Army.”

Maj Gen Rajender Nath (retd), a military historian: “I am very sad at the development. I sincerely wish it should have been avoided. Indian Army is the second biggest Army in the world and this sort of development does not bring good name. The General should have sorted it earlier in his career.”

Air Marshal RS Bedi (retd) said, “Both sides are wrong (government and Chief of Army Staff). It is unfortunate. Chief should have resigned and then approach the court. We have done damage to the institution of the Chief. On the other hand, government bungled it. Matriculation certificate decides the date of birth in this country. The government and the bureaucrats are not understanding the sensitivity attached to the post of Chief of Army Staff."
Retired Army officers react on VK Singh's age row

Age Row- Bureaucracy conspiracy?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not want to comment on the controversy over army chief General V K Singh's age because it is a 'sensitive issue'.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony is 'very sorry' about what is happening. Then why don't these two gentlemen at least ensure that the issue is settled with dignity, and the army chief's birth date is recognised as 1951 as per the official records?
There is a certain intolerance creeping into government that sees a contrary view as dissent, and reacts to it with a heavy hand. Any officer who does not agree with the often blinkered views emanating from the corridors of power is axed, as many will testify, with the result that most now hesitate to speak their minds.
This might make the politicians happy, but the fact of the matter is that they now rarely benefit from informed and impartial opinion.
In this particular case, however, it is more to do with getting a chief of their choice into government.
The poor army chief does not know what he is up against, as it is difficult to box at shadows and conspiracies that do not reveal themselves.
A petty government has pushed the army chief into a corner, feels Seema Mustafa

Formulation of the succession Plan
Govt going by army's word on Gen's age by Nagendar Sharma & Rahul Singh, Hindustan Times
Two immediate predecessors of the current chief — General JJ Singh in 2006 and General Deepak Kapoor in 2009 — concluded that the legally maintainable year of birth for General VK Singh can only be 1950. The government’s subsequent decisions were based on this. He was commissioned in the army in 1970.
Govt going by army's word on Gen's age

Comment
As a techno-legal view, if the COAS resigns his commission before going to court and subsequently the court upholds his stand and gives a verdict that his yob is 1951, legally the Resigned / lost / surrendered President's Commission, CANNOT BE REVOKED AND HE CANNOT BE RE-COMMISSIONED.
Veteran Gp Capt Subramanian