Adarsh Scam: Gen NC Vij did not apply his mind

Ref:‘I did not apply my mind to question whether Adarsh was security threat’
Former Army Chief General (retd.) N.C Vij, says he was not aware of a parliamentary query about land ownership
COMMENTS:

Dear Gen. Vij; This is not expected of a retd. army chief. Army chief not being informed about the parliamentary questions and applying for the membership of the same society after retirement. It is not done, Sir.
from: Krishnan Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 05:20 IST

Sad that an ex- army chief can give such evasive answers that reeks of malafide intentions. Despite visiting the 28 floor of the building where he had been allotted a flat, if he did not think of Adarsh as a security threat to the military installations surrounding the area, then he should not have been in the position of military chief. Any layman - not necessarily with a military background, knows that a civilian construction offering a birds-eye view of military installations is a security threat. And he says " people occupying the building need to be scrutinised from security angle and whether the persons occupying the building are trustworthy and dependable". How in the world is that possible in a civilian premises? Can he please offer an answer?
from: V.J. Nambiar Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 07:38 IST

Firstly, while unequivocally accepting the unimpeachable personal integrity of the former chief of army staff and former vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, the simple legal stand in most cases of land ownership and issue of encumberance certificate that precedes transfer of title to property presupposes that ignorance of a possible fraud, forgery, foul play or manipulation committed cannot stand in the way of title and access to disputed property being restored to the legal owner / lessee. Ignorance of law and absence of malice could only perhaps somewhat mitigate the legal exposure of the victims but cannot stand in the way of title of ownership from being restored to the rightful owner. Hence all those who had invested in or been awarded membership will stand to lose title to the disputed property if it is proven that the Society had no legal title to begin with or if the legal title had been obtained in violation of rules and regulations in force.
from: R.N. Iyengar Posted on: Aug 23, 2012 at 08:29 IST

Pathribal Fake Encounter: GCM starts against 5 officers

Pathribal Fake Encounter: Court martial starts against 5 officers 22/09/2012
The Army has commenced General Court Martial (GCM) proceedings at Nagrota-based 16 Corps headquarters against its five officers allegedly involved in the Pathribal fake encounter killing of five innocent men in Anantnag district of Kashmir more than 12 years ago.
“On Sept 20, the Army initiated disciplinary proceedings against the accused Army Officers in the alleged Pathribal fake encounter case”, an Army officer said.
Consequent to the Supreme Court’s Order, the Army had taken over the case from Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, and thereafter attached these officers to its Nagrota-based 16 Corps, he said.
Lt Gen A S Nandal, GOC 16 Corps in the capacity of Commanding Officer, heard the charges preferred by CBI against these officers and directed summary of evidence to be recorded against them, officer said.
Lt Gen Nandal heard the evidence led by Ashok Kalra, the CBI Inspector who had investigated the case, he said adding he also produced the document filed by CBI before a CBI court.
“All witnesses examined by CBI during its investigation will now be summoned to appear before the officer recording summary of evidence. After the summary of evidence is recorded, the final charge-sheet will be prepared for the next stage of proceedings”, he said.
On the aspect of change of location of the Court Martial proceedings, the Army spokesperson stated that GOC 15 Corps had contested the case on behalf of the accused persons right up to the Supreme Court and therefore, it was just and proper as also fair to the victims’ families that the disciplinary proceedings be conducted by another commander.
In the fag end of June month this year, the Army decided to try in GCM its five officers allegedly involved in the Pathribal fake encounter in March, 2000.
The Army moved an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, the designated CBI court, seeking transfer of the case to the GCM.
The CJM directed transferring the records including the charge sheet and other material evidence to the GCM through the Army’s authorised officer.
The Army’s decision came after the Supreme Court on May 1 gave eight weeks’ time to it to decide whether the accused officers will be tried in the GCM or face a trial in the civilian court.
Brig Ajay Saxena, Lt Col Brajendra Pratap Singh, Maj Sourabh Sharma, Maj Amit Saxena and Subedar Idrees Khan were chargesheeted by the CBI in 2006 for killing five civilians and later dubbing them as foreign militants.
As per the CBI investigation, the five civilians were killed and branded as militants days after 35 Sikhs were massacred in the nearby Chattisingpora village.
The CBI had filed the charge sheet against the accused officers in 2006 but the Army contested maintainability of the charge sheet claiming that prior sanction from the Centre was required under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which provides immunity against prosecution to Army personnel deployed in disturbed areas.
The Army’s plea was rejected by all courts, including the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, till the Apex Court partly agreed with it saying prior sanction was required for prosecution.
Pathribal Fake Encounter: Court martial starts against 5 officers
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Military Promotions: Bureaucrats want a say in the command structure

Once bitten, Defence Ministry cautious on promotion policy
K. V. Prasad of The HINDU
Refers to Law Ministry issue of discretionary evaluation marks to Army officers
Once bitten — following the controversy over the age of Army Chief V.K. Singh — the Defence Ministry is cautious on the issue of promotion to Army officers. It has sought the opinion of the Law Ministry on the Army awarding discretionary evaluation marks under a promotion policy to officers being considered for senior ranks.

Defence Ministry sources said the decision was taken after the Army sent a list of officers for promotion from Brigadiers to Majors General and Majors General to Lieutenants General based on the promotion boards held during October last with grading that includes discretionary marks.

Army sources said they were awaiting a decision which had been pending for over four months amid the possibility that some recommended officers would be entering the zone of retirement. As per rules, a Brigadier would have to retire on attaining the age of 56 and a Major General on reaching 58.

As per the evaluation marks policy, the collegium consisting of the Army Chief, the Vice-Chief and Army commanders has the discretion of awarding up to 5 marks to a candidate being considered for promotion while the rest 95 are quantified on the basis of work and achievements and other parameters during the service period.

Army sources said that while the evaluation marks had been in place for the last few years, including in the other two Services, the Defence Ministry had sought to question it. However, Ministry sources said that in the light of how the controversy over the date of birth of the Army Chief played out, the government is keen to ensure that everything is in black and white and there are no grey areas leading to litigation
Once bitten, Defence Ministry cautious on promotion policy

Forces, CAG lock horns over audit of unit run canteens

Wednesday, 14 September 2011 00:54
The armed forces and Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) are at loggerheads over the auditing of the 4,500 unit-run canteens which have an annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore.

Documents available with The Pioneer show that the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy have refused to comply with the direction of the Defence Secretary to permit the CAG to audit the unit canteens. The Secretary had conveyed the direction of Defence Minister AK Antony, who had received a complaint from the CAG on the denial of audit by Army Headquarters.

“Since no headway has been made in this regard, the CAG has written to the Raksha Mantri on this issue and has requested his intervention for providing audit parties access to unit-run canteens (URC) as early as possible,” noted the Defence Secretary’s letter to the three service chiefs, marked ‘secret’.

“It has been observed by the CAG that considering the facts that URCs are located in Government premises, are run in most cases by service personnel, use Government transport and, most importantly, receive substantial funds from the Consolidated Fund of India, such denial violates provisions of the Constitution of India regarding the powers and duties of the CAG,” it added.

“It is, therefore, requested that necessary instructions may kindly be given to the concerned for allowing audit personnel to access information from the URCs under their control so that RM is apprised of them,” the Defence Secretary wrote.

Meanwhile, on September 7, Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi summoned the vice-chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy and directed them to provide access to the CAG for auditing unit-run canteens.

Earlier, in the second week of January, Joshi had summoned heads of the three forces on the same issue.

According to sources, the Vice Chiefs, who were representing the heads of the three Services, vehemently objected to the auditing of CAG in the Unit Run Canteens and claimed that each canteen is audited by chartered accountants. At this point Joshi told them that this argument was not tenable and questioned the reasons for preferring Chartered accountants over the Government Auditor.

While Vice Chiefs contended in the meeting that it was not possible for CAG to audit all 4,500 canteens, the CAG officials countered that they would audit on random basis and if they found irregularities, would consider further auditing.

Joshi directed the three forces to submit a detailed report on how to make way for audit of unit run canteens within a week and suggested for a high level committee of auditors and forces to resolve the issue.

For the past two years CAG and forces are locking horns over the auditing of Unit Run Canteens. In India, the forces supply system is managed by 34 depots of Canteen Stores Department (CSD), which is distributed through the 160 lakh end users through more than 4500 canteens, controlled by each unit. The Unit Run Canteens would take a margin at an average of four percent on the supply and the profit is expected to be around Rs.500 crore in the annual turn over of more than Rs.10000. Though CAG got access to audit the 34 CSDs, forces object the auditors when they demanded to check the accounts of Unit Run Canteens, where the actual sale takes place.

The forces get the money from the Consolidated Fund of India and enjoy Quantitative Discounts approved by the government, apart from the avoidance of taxes on most of the supplied items.

The CAG has argued out that as the fund is made available from the Consolidated Funds, they have the right to audit where as the forces claim that the affairs of the Unit Run Canteens are “purely private ventures of each units” and hence no need of auditing.
Forces, CAG lock horns over audit

Col KN Nair (Retd) comments
The CAG should have audited these URCs long back. Misuse of tax payer's money is in any case not in the interest of Nation. In this transperancy era, the Services cannot say no to the Govt Auditor. It is certain that the huge profits earned out of URC venture were/are being used by the Service Officers left and right. If the URC records are audited, this will come out as another major scandal. The CAG should act now.

Selecting Military Top Brass- Readers Responses

Ref: Selecting Military Top Brass
I am dismayed to see an intellectually flawed and misinformed article from someone of Gen Suman's calibre.
His assumptions that promotions to the top echelons, viz Army Cdrs and the Chief are on 'auto pilot', non-merit based and manipulated to promote mediocrity, are not well founded.
It is natural that the System would have 'evolved' since I retired, many years ago, yet it cannot have regressed to such cynical depths. Indian Military has sound and resilient institutions. Let us not 'knock' them so lightly.
Some facts, as known( first hand, even if dated):-

Empanelment of Lt Gens and selection of Chiefs is based on a multi-level selection process involving Service HQ/MOD/ACC. The independent scrutiny for suitability and comparison of merit is rigorous and longitudnal ( bureaucracies have long institutional memories)- not at all a nominal/automatic process. Differences in perceptions/ judgments do abound and discussions are commonplace-last word has to rest with the GOI. It is definitely not with the perverse and parochial Chiefs,as implied.

Some illustrations of (eligible by DOB) Lt Gens/ Corps Cdrs who sadly got left out are Gens Sinha, M Thomas, Balaram, ML Tuli, Hanut Singh, Mike Lahiri, Guru Bakshi, Kadyan etc. Hopefully this debunks the 'auto-pilot' myth. Incidentally, all the above in my view were thoroughly deserving. But then 'systems' are introduced to moderate personal subjectivity/ halo-and they are fallible.
I am not an apologist for (the perfection of) the system nor anti-reform but to let 'injury to institutions' pass would be unworthy. By all means 'tweak' the system constructively; but to 'subvert' it thus is in no one's interest.
One of the great strengths of the Indian Military has been its faith- in itself and its Institutions- despite the inequities and perceived injustices (those are a part of the natural order). Of late, the liberating technology and culture, is lifting some of the discretion and maturity that enabled us express with dignity and also keep that 'faith'. I do hope that in this new- found and growing exuberance/ cynicism/ intemperance, we the Veterans do not hurt the nobility and grace of our Ethos.
Yogi Sharma
Lt Gen YN Sharma, Former Army Commander

An excellent, balanced and a well analysed article. I hope the three Services will look into the very significant points mentioned and rationalise the selections beyond the level of the Corps Cdrs too. Incidentally the Army follows the rule of min 2 years residual service for Corps Cdrs becoming Army Cdrs whereas the IAF and Navy follow only one year residual service. Thus what is happening is that in the large number of Inter service appts many Army offrs perforce get toserve under the IN and IAF offrs who were originally junior to them.Also the Supreme Court on many occasions have advised the Services HQs to streamline thier promotion policies for senior offrs. I am afraid some among the top hierarchy have not been fair to the Service they have the privilege to lead and thus' mediocrity with agreeability' reinforced by an unwarranted regimental loyalty becomes the major criteria for movement upwards and has brought a bad name to the Services. I pray for the best to lead the best in the service of the country. JAI HIND,
Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd)

Growing Crisis of Morality in the Indian Armed Forces Leadership

Dear Chander,
Two interesting and vividly written articles on the scams troubling our Defence Forces lately, one each by Maj Gen APS Chauhan (Former Chairman COAS Complaints Advisory Board) & Col SK agarwal (ex JAG Br) published in e-paper The Tribune, Chandigarh, dated 12 Nov 2010, are linked below. I feel that it desirable to circulate these through RMS blog for info of all.
With warm regards,
Maj Bhupal Singh, Veteran

GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)
Friday, November 12, 2010, Chandigarh, India
What has come to surface as series of misdeeds and misconduct at the highest level of military establishment, now with the chiefs as dramatis personae resorting to indulgence in satiating petty greed, is far from mere illegal transactions for appropriating assets not lawfully entitled to. It is an unimaginable misdemeanor, not in terms of material value or commission and omission in a state of forgetfulness as may be contrived, but in the impulse to commit the very act. This indicts these officers of willful disdain for military virtues and self-discipline in their own character when they are the custodians for ensuring the same in others.

Character is the keystone of the profession of arms and embedded in military virtues. These are not individual cases as one may believe, but group tendencies in a cycle of exposures over a period and a dangerous fall out from protracted corrosion in officer discipline and leadership accountability, with the military code shifting loyalty to fulfill personal agendas. When heads should have rolled at the top, it was never done.

TARNISHED BRASS: Some recent cases of professional impropriety by generals:

Adarsh Housing Society case : Large number of senior military officers, including service chiefs allegedly got flats in a Mumbai housing project that was initially conceived for families of Kargil heros, but later subverted to suit interests of influential people. The 38-story high-rise is under the scanner for building violations and also for posing a security risk as it overlooks army and navy installations.

Sukhna Land Scam : Three lieutenant generals and a major general among others indicted by a court of inquiry irregularities in issuing a NOC to a private party for commercial use of land adjoining a sensitive army station. Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash and Lt Gen P.K. Rath facing court martial.

Dry Ration and Frozen Meat Scam : Two lieutenant generals, S.K Sahni and S.K. Dhaiya from the Army Service Corps indicted for irregularities. Sahni being tried by a court martial while Dahiya got a reprimand.

Liquor Scam : Maj Gen G.I. Singh cashiered and awarded two years RI for illegally selling canteen liquor in the open market.

Procurement of UN Mission Supplies : Two major generals, Anil Swarup and S.P Sinha belonging to the Army ordnance Corps indicted for procuring items at highly inflated prices. Court martial proceedings against Swarup underway.

Molestation Case : Maj Gen A.K. Lal cashiered by general court martial for allegedly molesting a woman captain.

Tehelka Episode : Maj Gen P.S.K. Choudhry cashiered and awarded one year RI for demanding and accepting bribes from fictitious arms dealers.

Disproportionate Assets : Maj Gen Anand Kapur from the Army Service Corps booked by the CBI for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

JAG’s case : Maj Gen Nilendra Kumar, head of the Judge Advocate General’s Department awared Army Chief’s censure for several counts of impropriety.
(Several cases are pending before High Courts and the Armed Forces Tribunals, seeking a stay on or quashing of proceedings)

That these generals have been hoodwinking a practically foolproof selection procedure and drawing benefits from apparently flawed appraisals could not have happened without collusive or tacit abetment at the political -bureaucratic level that exercises primacy over all decision-making. For instance in the 90s an officer who should have been dismissed for cowardice in field rose to the level of army commander by dubious doctoring of his record because he was connected to a defence secretary. This happened in tandem with granting indiscreet favour to another who was connected to a political party. In another example, a defence minister colluded with brass on import of coffins. The previous army chief was under a cloud for transactions while as army commander, actually sabotaging an inquiry that could have pinned him down, but was shielded by the ministry.

The onus for arresting the fall from grace lies directly on the government that seems to be making a mockery of running a nation with an unabated tide of misdemeanors in its corridors. Time has come to roll heads. The generals involved must pay dearly for the shame they have brought to the profession of arms and its standing. In the meanwhile the Chief, having resolved and pledged to cleanse the institution, must be given unfretted support by the Government and the institution to purge the system, restore credibility and accountability with assured non-interference by politicians.
The writer is former chairman of the COAS Complaints Advisory Board
Read the complete version:
GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)

Plugging loopholes in the system
Corruption in the public life is well documented but it is just not acceptable in the armed forces for the very simple reason that the nation can ill afford to hand over security of the country's borders in the hands of corrupt officers. Such elements need to be weeded out, dealt with a firm hand, while honest officers and whistle blowers respected and rewarded to restore the trust and confidence of the public in the armed forces.
The writer retired from the Judge Advocate General's Department
Read more:
Plugging loopholes in the system by Col S.K. Aggarwal (Retd)

Indian Armed Forces: Annual Confidential Reports and Promotion Boards

ACR AND PROMOTION
The Special Army Order (SAO) giving guidelines for writing ACR is logical and lucid. Very pragmatically and wisely it lays down that all those getting 7 and above in box grading must be recommended for promotion. If not, the reasons must be recorded. In other words, any one who can do his job quite well in the present rank, should be able to perform at least adequately in the next (nothing to do with Peter’s principles, if you please). A rational approach, as there is no facility to test one in the next rank or any other alternative. Most will be horrified at the thought of settling for only average performers. However, it is a fact that the bulk of officers cleared their SSB tests with average, or even low average grading. The ‘cat’s whiskers’ must check this as it will be good for them and a boon for the Services. This obsession to promote only the ‘out standing’ or ‘above average’ is the bane of Indian Army. The poison seed sown a couple of decades back is now a giant tree, with numerous branches, bearing hideous flowers spreading its stench. We get a generous whiff daily from newspapers and TV.

Outcome of this mind set is an overwhelming desire to select the best. Nothing wrong, prima facie. But, how does one achieve it? In order to select the best of the lot, a merit list has to be drawn. Though no one admits it, this is precisely what the Promotion Boards have been doing. How else does one explain rejections of well qualified officers with unblemished records but having only 7 points, while some with minor punishments but 8 or 9 points in the kitty sail through? How can the relative merits be assessed fairly when the assessors are different and so are the service conditions– place (peace, field, high altitude), formation, task and so on. Far too many variables and parameters to apply any corrective measures and yet it is done! IITs, IIMs, AFMC and such others do not consider the marks awarded by established Universities or Boards but conduct their own tests as that is the best, if not the only, way of determining relative merits. Don’t we also have our own DSSC and TSC examinations! As examinations are not possible or practicable in this context, we have to settle for the next best. That is, let the Promotion Boards ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. Those who pass are promoted in their turn. Here comes a sore point. One is stuck with his IC number forever. What one did or did not do in his formative years, coming from diverse backgrounds, while still under the stress of training, hounds him until retirement. One may be brilliant but he cannot overtake his senior by even one number, unless the senior falters. As all of us can cite examples, hence, I will not. That, however, is another can of worms. So, let us have the ‘passed’ list, which will naturally include the ‘best of the batch’. There will be no catastrophe or even a bigger mess. Rather, there will be less injustice, heartburn, humiliation, rivalry, fake encounters to get a medal and other bad things. Showmanship has taken precedence over professional competence. Prudence, circumspection, sincerity, honesty, probity and so on are no more virtues, the last one – an offence.

Promotion Boards should, basically, screen/ clear/ approve officers for tasks or job content and not any rank– that comes later and is more of a policy matter. For example, the questions, ‘Is he fit to command a major unit’ and ‘Is he fit to be a Colonel’ are not the same as the former is precise and the latter requires derivation or redirection. Here comes the mix up in thought process, concept and visualization. The confusion thus created gives rise to unfairness and injustice. Consider the cadre review whereby Cols command units. This was not done because command of a major unit had become more arduous or demanding, requiring greater capability! Therefore, logically, all selection grade Lt Cols at that time, should have automatically been cleared to be Cols. That did not happen. Why? What happened to clear thinking, conceptualization and visualization? Matters related to ACRs and promotions are regularly tinkered with by various Chiefs and MS branch luminaries. After doing LDMC or SDMC, some feel decidedly knowledgeable and wise and start applying concepts of statistics at unit level! Thus, units start getting bizarre orders. They are subsequently cancelled but not before damaging or even sealing the careers of a few. They must have heard or read, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, but to what avail?!
Col BN Ratha(Retd)
07 Jun 10
Previous Post
Inflated ACR's

Indian Army: Inflated Annual Confidential Reports creates sycophancy

Curbing Inflated ACRs
The curse of inflated ACRs is the bane of the Army. This need to be checked by simply following the laws of averages where in any organisation there are very few outstanding persons and equally few below average persons. The bulk is in the average category. The Air Force and the Navy follow a very sound ACR system in which the inflation of the ACRs is negligible as compared to the army. In these services due weightage is given to the technical acumen of an individual unlike in the army, where organisation of a non professional event, like a sports event or a dinner party, has an over riding bearing on one’s career prospects. If a person is a good flyer in Air Force or a good technician in the Navy he gets his due. On the other hand in the army a prestigious DSSC Wellington graduate (psc), is also judged for his event management skills which are of no professional consequence. A 9 pointer ACR should be as rare as a PVC or a PVSM. The bulk of the Indian army officers should find satisfaction in 5 or 6 pointer ACRs with bright ones getting an odd ‘7 pointer’. An ‘8 pointer’ should be personally judged by two levels up and if deemed otherwise by the RO or the SRO, it should negatively reflect on the poor judgment of the IO. This will not only reduce the rat race but will also show some logic in the reporting system. Further more for those persons who are actually outstanding, there will be lesser competitions from other officers who are actually average but graded higher than what they deserve. The ACR form should also have a column to indicate whether the Reporting Officer is a good judge of his command or not. Our ACR system is the root cause of all the ills in the army. Earlier it is corrected the better.
Brig Harwant Singh(Retd)
Read the full article
ACRs in the Army: click here

ACR- Stab in the Back?
1. He has done his job well and has produced results. Has done various courses including the prestigious ones on competitive basis. Has held various important appointments. Has, may be, an award or a decoration.
2. His superiors find nothing wrong with him, indeed, find him good and recommend him for his next promotion.
3. One day he is told that he is not suitable for promotion. And this has been decided by a bunch that doesn’t know him, has never seen him, find nothing wrong with him and yet he bites the dust. Hasn’t he been stabbed in the back? (He is, of course, an officer of the Indian Army!)
To Be Objective or Not To Be
1. What you write in an ACR must be objective and never subjective. Very sound advice! All those who write ACRs know this. They also know that if one is to get his promotion (that is the “objective” in other words), he must be given a 8 point if not a 9 point report. Only then he has a fair chance. Anything less, he is doomed.
2. If you want to punish one, give him 7 points. He has to be recommended for promotion, as that is the rule. But he will never make it, and knows it. He can’t complain as he is above average and can’t support a claim for a better grading. He can neither smile nor weep.
3. Isn’t the IO being really ‘objective’ when he gives 8 or 9 points? Well, mustn’t he ensure that he attains his objective? So, why all this fuss about a large number of officers getting 8 and 9 points? Hasn’t the situation been made to order?
Col BN Ratha(Retd)
04 Jun 10

Moderator Comment
Armies in which promotions depend on personal prejudices, rather than dispassionate assessments of professional capability, will see poor quality leadership rise to the top. "There are many senior military officers who surround themselves with career opportunists. This is in part because they invariably begin to believe the sycophants who gather around him." How can such senior officers as IO, RO and SRO write a fair objective ACR of their juniors?

The ACRs and Medical Reports do not generally represent the true picture of the Officer especially from rank of Brigs to Lt Gens as all are branded "High Profile" (9 pointer). The Medical Standards need to be made more stringent to knock out the flab. Very few Generals can pass the mandatory physical standards as no tests are conducted for their physical fitness assessment. Fifty percent or so of the Generals are medically unfit but due to their superior rank and sphere of influence they retain SHAPE One category till retirement and most of them aspire to serve and retire in and around Delhi having developed local interests, as per statistics.

Army hit by sex scandal

Army hit by sex scandal
3 Jun 2010, 1425 hrs IST
In a major embarrassment for the Army, the Engineer-in-Chief, Lieutenant General A K Nanda has been accused of sexual misconduct towards the wife of a fellow Army officer. There have been unconfirmed reports that he even has been asked to resign; at any rate the allegations made to Army authorities by the victim seem to be strong enough for the general to now face an internal probe.

If the general is found guilty, he could face a court martial and be forced to either resign or take an early retirement and could even lose his pension.

The lady concerned is the wife of the technical secretary of the Engineer-in-chief, and was allegedly sexually misbehaved with by the accused lieutenant general during a trip to Israel. She thereafter reportedly complained to the Army Chief's wife, who is also the president of the Army Wives' Welfare Association (AWWA).

A serious a charge against such a senior general who is almost on the verge of retirement, warrants two possible responses by authorities; He could be asked to leave the Army immediately, or face a courtmartial. Both options would be a major embarrassment for the Army. But the reputation of the Army is at stake and one can expect the Army Chief to take prompt and stringent action to set the right example.

In the last 20 years there have been several cases where officers have been asked to leave the defence services on account of 'stealing the affections of a brother officer's wife' - as mentioned in the rules and regulations. However cases of sexual misconduct is also a criminal offence and can attract civil prosecution.

Wing Commander (retired) Bakshi, commenting on the development, said "If this lady reports the matter, authorities will take suitable action, they will order a court of inquiry for which suitable officers will be selected. Then, if there is enough evidence against the accused, the Army chief can call for a courtmartial. The general will also get judicial guarantees and an opportunity to defend himself against the allegation. There is a feeling that in the Armed forces people can get away with such things - that is wrong. The standards are very high provided the commanders can maintain them."
Army hit by sex scandal

Lt-Gen accused of molesting aide Col’s wife
The accused, Lt-Gen A K Nanda (59), who as the engineer-in-chief (E-in-C) is among the eight principal staff officers of the Army chief, is alleged to have molested the wife of his aide, Colonel C P S Pasricha, during an official trip to Israel in the second week of May.

There were even indications that the case could be the result of some dirty top-level jostling for the "extremely lucrative" E-in-C post, controlling "all the construction and works projects" of the 1.13-million strong Army spread across the country. In the steeply hierarchical structure of the armed forces, a senior officer being sacked or resigning before his term ends can change the entire chain of succession after him. Nanda is to retire in September.

Nanda’s wife, Neerja, too jumped to her husband’s defence. "The allegations are not true. I was also part of the five-day trip to Israel... I can vouch 100% for my husband’s character. We have been married for 35 years. Let the Army conduct an inquiry... the truth will come out," she said.
Lt-Gen accused of molesting aide Col’s wife: TNN, Jun 3, 2010, 05.37pm IST
Sex scandal in Army takes many twists and turns

Inference from Media Reports
1. Do wives accompany officers on Official Foreign assignments. Even if permission has been granted it behooves on the Senior officer to maintain decorum and honour in keeping with the traditions of the Military in so far as ladies are concerned.
2. The trip primarily seems to be for joint vacation to Egypt for which advance payments had been made.
3. Junior officer's contention of not reporting in foreign soil is genuine. No one will want to throw up dirty linen abroad. Molestation is a serious charge where the accused can be arrested irrespective of status or rank in any country irrespective of one's nationality.
4. The Senior Officer by posting out his Junior Officer to Bhopal on return to Delhi exposes his complicity.
5. Performance of an Officer cannot diminish in a couple of days in a foreign nation.
6. The onus rests with the accused to prove his innocence.

Army wants more short service officers

-by Ritu Sharma 27 January 2010
"The army has submitted the proposal to increase the intake of short service commissioned officers by making it more lucrative. The proposal is lying with the defence ministry," a senior armed forces official told IANS, requesting anonymity. Currently, people who are not certain about committing to permanent positions in the army join under SSC and serve the army for five years. At the end of the period the officer is allowed to either opt for permanent commission, choose another five years of service or retire. In contrast, an officer under permanent commission has to serve for 20 years. The SSC acts as the support cadre to the regular cadre, which is twice its strength. The proposal seeks to reverse the proportion. "According to an internal report the shortfall of 11,000 army officers would be bridged in 20 years. The proposal is to take two short service officers for every permanently commissioned officer. This will help make up the shortfall in due course without affecting the promotion aspects caused by the pyramidal structure of the army. "In short the proposal is to increase the proportion of short service commissioned officers from the current one-third," the officer told IANS.

The army's sanctioned strength is 46,615 officers, but it has been facing a shortage of 11,238. For the world's fourth largest army middle-rung officers leaving for better-paying corporate sector jobs has been a constant problem.

The problem has been aggravated because the army is unable to get enough numbers to join its officer rank. The defence forces need 2,100 officers every year.

The army is now opening a second Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya in Bihar. Set to house 500 cadets, the academy is scheduled to start functioning by the middle of the year.

However, in the existent OTA at Chennai the cadet intake has come down from 407 in 2008 to 315 in 2009, against an authorised strength of 700.

"The army has sought to make SSC more lucrative by increasing the number of serving years from five to 10. Another proposal is to give them a two-year study leave at the end of their service to help them find a better second career option," said the officer.

Now, the army is hoping the financial crisis in the corporate sector and the Sixth Pay Commission -- which has increased their salaries -- will help bring in many more officers to the armed forces.
Army wants more short service officers -by Ritu Sharma

Annual Confidential Reports: Soldier, heal thyself

Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Soldier, heal thyself
India's new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General VK Singh, has promised to focus on the "internal health" of the Indian Army. He has his task cut out for him.
by Ajai Shukla Business Standard, 6th Apr 10

Figuring out the state of an army’s morale is easy. All it takes is a couple of drinks with two groups of people: the officers and the enlisted men. If the chatter is mainly about sports and professional competitions; ongoing training; and about how much tougher and smarter they are than their rival units, morale is high. On the other hand, if talk centres on pay and allowances; promotions and postings; and on the world outside the army, you can bet money that morale is low. Applying this yardstick to the Indian Army I believe the morale of officers is low, while that of the jawans is high.

In this gloomy assessment I have illustrious company. The new Chief of Army Staff, General VK Singh, on assuming office on the 1st of April, has wisely identified the army’s “internal health” as his key focus. Pointing out that an internally vibrant army would easily swat aside external threats, the army chief has promised to revitalize traditions, core values and the army’s ethos.

Earlier chiefs, some as well-intentioned as General VK Singh, have embarked on similar paths. General K Sundarji, on taking over as chief in 1986, wrote to army officers individually, urging them to follow their professional convictions and promising to tolerate dissent. But that led nowhere as actions failed to follow words. Today, as the new chief implicitly accepts, the army has become a personality cult where officers either conform to the inclinations of the boss or get weeded out. Originality and eccentricity, those priceless attributes of a successful military leader, have been rendered extinct by a dull, humourless routine that is set --- Congress Party fashion --- by what the boss thinks his boss wants.

Keeping the officers in line is a terrible God called the Annual Confidential Report before which even the brightest and most capable officer must kneel or be scythed down. While annual reports are an evaluation tool in many professions, the army has accorded the ACR absolute control of an officer’s career. Considering that this primacy is born of the army’s laudable quest for an impartial, empirical evaluation system, it is ironic that the ACR has turned into a monster of subjectivity. If the boss is unhappy with an officer --- for any reason whatsoever --- a single lukewarm ACR can sink a brilliant career.

Dismantling this tyranny, and unlocking the potential of his officer corps, is the task ahead for General VK Singh. This is easier said than done. Blocking any radical change is the tribal ethos of the Indian Army. An officer belongs first to his regiment or battalion; only after that is he an Indian Army officer. An army chief’s first duty is towards the regiment and battalion that nurtured him; reforming the army conflicts with the role of regimental patriarch.

When General JJ Singh, an infantry officer from the Maratha Light Infantry, took over as chief, the honour guard that welcomed him to South Block was from the Marathas. So was his aide-de-camp and most of his personal staff. During his term Army Headquarters strengthened the infantry-friendly promotion policies of his infantry predecessors. The tenure of his artillery successor, General Deepak Kapoor, saw the Corps of Artillery quickly muscling out the infantry as the flavour of the month. Promotion policy tilted in favour of the artillery. Upwardly mobile artillery officers were quickly posted into friendly environments, under “friendly” superiors, to ease their paths towards higher rank.

These are only the most recent examples of the army’s longstanding patriarchal tradition that General VK Singh can now embrace or dismantle. A key step would be the creation of a clearly enunciated promotion policy, printed as a manual and sanctioned by the government, to ensure that each successive chief cannot tinker with the policy to suit his constituency. Today, 63 years after independence, the military has no promotion manual; policy exists only in a constantly revised torrent of letters from the Military Secretary’s branch.

The other major change that General VK Singh could implement is the reversing of promotion quotas to higher rank: the “Mandalisation” of the army as it is evocatively referred to. From the institution of the Prussian General Staff in the early eighteenth century, professional militaries have employed the criterion of merit alone to select their senior command. For over half a century, so did the Indian Army; but recently, in a burst of patrimonial fervour, quotas were instituted to ensure that each combat arm got its share of the senior ranks. Initiated by artillery and infantry chiefs to safeguard the interests of their officers, the quotas are now favouring less talented officers of other arms.

Few chiefs would voluntarily divest themselves of power but, paradoxically, the institution of the COAS would be greatly strengthened by transparency and the absence of discretion in promotions and postings. It would also free army chiefs from accusations of prejudice; a lever that MoD officials --- and in one well-known case, a defence minister --- have successfully employed to demand favours for their own candidates.
Posted by Broadsword
Ajai Shukla: Soldier, heal thyself: Business Standard
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Shortage of Officers in the Armed Forces

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
RAJYA SABHA

There has been shortage of officers in the Armed Forces. The shortage of officers in the Army is around 11,500 and in the Navy, the shortage is 1606. The number of vacancies in Air Force is 1342.

The shortage is partly attributable to accretions in the Armed Forces from time to time, tough selection procedures, difficult service conditions coupled with perceived high degree of risk involved in service career.

A number of steps have been taken to attract the talented youth to join the Defence Forces. All officers including those in Short Service Commission (SSC) are now eligible to hold substantive rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel after two, six and 13 years of reckonable service respectively. The tenure of SSC officers has been increased from 10 to 14 years. A total number of 750 posts of Lt. Col have been upgraded to Colonel towards implementation of AV Singh Committee Report (Phase-I). Further, 1896 additional posts in the ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major General and Lieutenant General and their equivalents in the other two Services have been upgraded towards implementation of AV Singh Committee Report (Phase-II). The implementation of the recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission with substantial improvement in the pay structure of officers of Armed Forces, is expected to make the Services more attractive.

The Armed Forces have also undertaken sustained image projection and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career. Awareness campaigns, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, advertisements in print and electronic media, motivational lectures in schools, colleges are also some of the other measure in this direction.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in written reply to Shri Tariq Anwar in Rajya Sabha today. PK / RAJ
Shortage of Officers in the Armed Forces: PIB

Lt Gen Vinay Shankar former Director General Artillery.
IDR Issue: Vol 25.1 Jan-Mar 2010
How has the Army fared in the last two decades in the discharge of its responsibilities? At considerable cost to itself it has barely managed to keep the lid on. Given the serious shortage of junior officers, and the indifferent and insufficient weaponry at its disposal, the Army it can be contended, has done exceedingly well. Regrettably the problems of the Army, and the stresses it is subjected to, are understood only by those who are in it. The MOD and the political leadership, or for that matter also the strategic community have a vague awareness, nowhere close to the ground realities. This explains the decades of inertia.
Army’s Capability Accretion: click here to read the full article

Tainted by corruption, Army credibility nosedives

CORRUPTION WITHIN ARMY: Panelists discuss if Indian Army is losing its credibility in the eyes of civilians.

Extract of Transcripts (page 4)... click here for the full version

CNN-IBN: Point taken about accountability but the point that Kanwar Sandhu was making was about credibility. Major General Satbir Singh, there have been cases of pilfering of ration, liquor being misused, now a land scam. Has the credibility of the Indian Army in the eyes of the citizens taken a knock?

Satbir Singh: Have you taken a look at so many other scams happening in the country today?

CNN-IBN: Sir the Army was supposed to be different. The respect for the Army came because it was not supposed to be like any other institute.

Satbir Singh: So that is why we need to take note of this at the national level - why is there a shortage of soldiers, why is the youth not coming to join the Armed Forces, why is the right material not coming to us, why are veterans protesting, why has one rank one pension not been granted? The nation is just sleeping over these issues. You know the academies of the Armed Forces are empty. I just want to besiege the conscience of this nation that let us make our security the best.

CNN-IBN: Sir point taken that these cases cannot be generalised, but Colonel Bhatt, is there a credibility crisis or not? Tehelka happened, defence deals came under scrutiny and now you have got a land scam.

Anil Bhatt: On Tehelka, I would like to say that it was a very selective sting operation. But they did not dare to try the same kind of sting with the politicians or the bureaucrats. The other thing is that as a platoon commander, a troop leader, a battery commander one feels like the king. It's like nothing on earth. But the day the Armed Forces officer lands up in New Delhi and when he functions between bureaucrats and politicians who are his leaders, then they see things. The babus and the netas set these examples.

CNN-IBN: So you are saying blame the babus and the netas but do not blame the generals.

Satbir Singh: I see a conspiracy to try and belittle the Armed Forces here. This is not the right thing for the nation. Let us look after these officers, give them equipment, train them well and let us defend this country.

Maj Gen Satbir Singh (Retd) is the Secretary of IESM. An ESM movement spearheading implementation of "One Rank One Pension", promised by successive Governments on paper only, but not implemented till date due to muddling campaign unleashed by the MOD Bureaucrats to confuse the Politicians.

Sack Military Secy, says Army court of inquiry into land scam

Sukhna CantonmentWednesday, Dec 23, 2009 at 0027 hrs New Delhi: Manu Pubby
An Army inquiry into the Darjeeling land scam, first reported by The Indian Express, has recommended “termination of services” of Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash, Military Secretary at Army HQ and one of the seniormost Generals, and court martial proceedings against Lt Gen P K Rath whose appointment as Deputy Chief of Army Staff was later scrapped by the Ministry of Defence.
The inquiry also favoured disciplinary action and court martial against Major General P Sen and administrative action against
Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali, currently commanding the 11 Corps. A separate inquiry has also been recommended against a Colonel of the legal department for giving dubious advice regarding the land deal.
The inquiry found that Prakash was in constant touch with a Siliguri real estate developer, Dilip Agarwal, who brokered a controversial land deal in Darjeeling.

Through phone records, the inquiry established, that Agarwal, who inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the Army to purchase nearly 70 acres near the 33 Corps HQ in Sukna, was in constant touch with Prakash while the deal was being sealed. The NOCs were given after an institution claimed it was an affiliate of the Mayo College in Ajmer and would establish a branch in Sukna. Mayo College denied it had any affiliate.

Apart from establishing the connection between Prakash and Agarwal, the inquiry was also told by Rath, who as the then 33 Corps Commander authorised granting of NOCs, that Prakash used his influence to get the deal through.

Sources said the recommendation for termination of services of Prakash were given by Eastern Army Commander, Lt Gen V K Singh, on the basis of the court of inquiry findings and opinion by the Army’s legal department.

While the recommendations have been forwarded by the Eastern Army command, the onus for action against Prakash, who is one of the seven Principal Staff Officers (PSO) at Army HQ, now lies with Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor.

The Army Chief, sources said, now has the choice to accept the recommendations and terminate Prakash’s services or overrule the matter on sound legal grounds. If the recommendation is accepted, Prakash can either accept dismissal or face court martial proceedings where he can contest the charges against him.
Sack Military Secy, says Army court of inquiry into land scam
Army land scam spreads, from Bengal to Uttarakhand
Misuse of Defence Lands
Throughout the length and breadth of the nation there is blatant misuse of Cantonment Lands by way of consruction/ encroachment by civilians. The DEO (Defence Estate Officer) and CEO (Cantonment Executive officer) in connivance with civilians/ real estate agents close their eyes to the encroachment as black money is used to bribe the concerned defence officials. None of the civilian officials under the MoD ever get caught for Land Scams!

Army officer under scanner over misconduct

TNN 14 July 2009, 08:55am IST
NEW DELHI: The bad news for the 1.13-million strong Army shows no sign of stopping. After a series of meat, cereal, liquor and fuel scandals,

Lucknow-based Central Army Command chief Lt-General J K Mohanty has now ordered a court of inquiry (CoI) against a Brigadier posted in Uttarakhand after charges of misuse of funds and misbehaviour with a woman were levelled against him.

Incidentally, the accused infantry officer was recently approved to become a Major-General. ‘‘If he is guilty, he will be punished. But till now, there are just some charges against him, the veracity of which have to be inquired into,’’ said an officer.

‘‘Only after the CoI will we be able to say if there is a preliminary case for him to be tried through a summary of evidence and subsequent court martial,’’ he added.

Though the case is yet to be established, it is another indicator of the declining standards of probity and discipline in the armed forces.

The court martial against Maj-Gen A K Lal, removed as commander of the strategically-located 3 Infantry Division at Leh in September 2007 after a woman officer accused him of ‘‘misconduct’’ and ‘‘misbehaviour’’, held that he should be dismissed from service.

Incidentally, the names of two Lt-Gens, four Maj-Gens, nine Brigadiers, a Navy Commodore, two Commanders, a Lt-Commander, an IAF Group Captain and a Coast Guard DIG had figured in an earlier list of 21 senior officers facing corruption charges.
Army officer under scanner over misconduct