Outsourcing the best option for the Military to reduce corruption

'Private sector can ease Indian Army's maintenance burden'
New Delhi,Business/Economy,Defence/Security, Tue, 02 Oct 2012 IANS
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) is a concept hitherto confined to the civilian aviation sector. Now, an industry lobby is promoting this as a means by which the Indian Army can cut down its maintenance costs and improve its operational preparedness.
"A modern army's equipment readiness has to be sustained at high levels to meet the demands of a complex and uncertain operating environment. This becomes crucial since the Indian Army is looking at capabilities for quick deployment, reducing repair cycle time, inventory overhang and repair costs," an official of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) explained.
"The Indian Army's modernisation strategy is focused on acquiring capabilities that will enable it to succeed in any operation today or in the future. Operational sustainment of weapon systems aims to retain these capabilities throughout its lifecycle.
"The proliferation of land weapon systems across the complete spectrum in the military necessitates effective implementation and integration of an MRO environment so as to keep the user in a state of mission readiness 24x7," the official said. Toward this end, FICCI and the Indian Army's Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Monday announced that the first international seminar on MRO in Land Systems would be held in New Delhi on Dec 3-4.
The seminar aims to institutionalise measures for the Indian Army adopting MRO for its land systems "through forging strong public private partnerships, so as to ensure military equipment meets operational requirements in a cost effective manner", the official said.
The seminar will bring together MRO domain experts, IT solution providers and stakeholders from industry, including policymakers, regulators and manufacturers, to deliberate on and help evolve the MRO policy systems for land systems that will achieve the stated objectives of mission readiness.
Private sector can ease Indian Army's maintenance burden
Comment: The Local Purchase in the Military is resorted due to NA (non availability) of stores. Generally this cycle of operation is meant to defraud the exchequer- inflated bills, bribes, commissions- resulting in poor quality or substandard products or stores with 100% failure rate within a few months. Encouraging this practise is anti- national and let down of our troops. There are numerous scandals like tents, boots, blankets, motor vehicle parts, spurious stationery, defence stores, the list is endless. Even grants for training is fudged. The prime reason for failing and falling standards of troops.

Are our borders safe with corrupt Officers leading the Military?

IS OUR ARMY TOTALLY HONEST AND NON CORRUPT
Mar 28 2012
Today India is largest buyer of armaments. It buys 10% of the global arms import beating both Pakistan and China. It is the most attractive defence market leading to capital expenditure of Rs.79,579 crores. Still we say Bharat Shanti Priya desh hai.
The fault for this lies firstly with Government and the Defence Ministry. Most of the Defence Minister and their deputies do not know anything about arms or ammunition. The maximum they have seen in their life is Danda. Though there are experts to help them, but how can one judge the honesty of these experts who are linked to arms lobbies since the days of Bofors. Any Senior Retd Army, Air force or Naval officer becomes an expert after retirement and joins one of the lobby as an expert or consultant. The Defence Babus are mere pawns in the hands of the higher ups including politicians. Our leaders need to be leaders in the real sense. They ought to be models of honesty, integrity, fair play and transparency. When our leaders and Ministers are facing charges of corruption, can its followers, the Army, Air Force. Navy or any one else be far behind.
The Civil India is corrupt and dishonest. In the past the Army used to live in their cantonements, far from the madding crowds. Today the army lives right in the middle of the town and major part of the officers are eating from the hands of the rich persons who have vested interests. They buy products from the Civil traders who give fake parts so that there is more volume. The CSD stores are the hotbed of blackmarket. One can see people standing outside CSD stores holding 10 VIP bags, 24 colgate tooth pastes, 25 cakes of soaps and what not. They are not meant for home use but to be sold outside. Some recent restrictions have been made but much needs to be done. The Army needs to be segregated from the civil world as one finds in USA and UK. The Army feels jealous of civilians richness and tries to copy their practices and life style in their careers.
There is too much of pampering of not only Army but all bureacrats including Police and Revenue Officers. This shows that our Govt. is weak and timid and cannot take any long term action. Reason it itself is corrupt. At the most they hand over the cases to CBI which has a poor record of solving the defence deals cases.
The recruitment pattern has to be changed. Though the Army is almost sixth in the order of priority in the mind of an unemployed youth, the practice of giving advantage to sons and daughters of the Army Officers in the recruitment as Officers is wrong as wrong stuff gets in and deserving candidates are neglected.
With this picture it is difficult to say whether our borders would be safe. Ab Watan kiss kay Hawale hoga, Saathiyo.
Click here to read the full thought provoking article

War Hero's Medal of Honesty

He is a hero in life too
R. Krishna Kumar: The Hindu: 01 July 2012

Epitome of integrity:Despite being in need of money, retired Air Force Corporal Charles Williams wants to return the excess money credited to his pension account.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM
Mysore: Amid growing scams and corruption and amassing of wealth in improper ways by many, a retired Air Force Corporal has shown the world exemplary honesty will be hard to ignore and one can live with dignity even amidst penury.
Charles Williams, 89, a World War II veteran from Mysore and who is in poor health, wants to return the excess money credited to his pension account.
Williams joined the Royal Air Force in pre-Independent India. Aftera six-week pre-induction training, he was posted at Agra. Within days, he was sent to Burma where he saw action against Japanese.
“Though in the RAF, our unit saw a lot of ground battle and we dug in and stayed put in the trenches. We were holed up for weeks without regular supply of food and water. The battle that raged was horrific with soldiers getting maimed and killed in the heavy exchange of fire. But ultimately we prevailed,” recalled Williams, whose father, P.V. Williams, had enrolled with the British Army and took part in World War I.
Speaking to The Hindu at his residence near Bamboo Bazaar here, Williams said that after Independence, he was inducted into the Indian Air Force and was part of the first convoy that landed in Srinagar following the outbreak of hostilities with Pakistan. He opted for voluntary retirement from the IAF in 1959, joined HAL and retired in 1983.
After retirement, he found certain anomaly in his pension and complained that he was being underpaid. “A visit to the local Sainik Welfare and Resettlement Board did not help me much as officials are apathetic to the grievances of ex-servicemen,” Williams said. He approached M.N. Subramani, president, VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust in Mysore.
But calculations showed that the Centralised Pension Processing Centre of State Bank of Mysore, Mangalore, had credited Williams’ account with excess money.
Mr. Subramani said he was being credited with Rs. 300 towards fixed medical allowances for which he was not entitled to. He was credited with Rs. 15,200 in excess with effect from July 2007.
“When this was brought to the notice of Williams, he asked me to inform the bank to recover the amount in 15 equal instalments so as not to put him in financial hardship,” said Mr. Subramani.
What is ironic is that Williams is returning the medical allowance when he needs it the most. He is visually impaired and desperately needs Rs. 1.5 lakh for a heart operation. “When I am not entitled for something, the national exchequer should not be made to bear the burden,” said Williams.
Meanwhile, Mr. Subramani has mailed a letter to SBM, Mangalore, drawing their attention to the anomaly.
War Hero's Medal of Honesty

Have Peace, not Justice

Dear Sir,
Does the manner in which this case has been dispensed with, imply that the Indian population may lose confidence in the ability of the highest courts of India, to deliver true justice, when it has to do so against an unreasonable and biased Government actions and so called 'vitiated' decisions against high profile, honourable and upright personalities.
Whatever anyone may say, it seems highly doubtful that the Army Chief's integrity and honour has been fully restored by this slap, he has got on his face, to say the least. The Government of India has been very cunning in sending the Chief to London, perhaps as a reward for having withdrawn his petition to save their face.
It shows the Government of India has now developed the ability of playing around with the dates of births of Indians to their convenience and on the merit of each case. This unhealthy precedence may cost dearly to the Government in times to come.
Col LK Anand Retd

Have Peace, not Justice
In what came to be called an ‘unprecedented step’, the Army Chief, Gen VK Singh had gone to the Supreme Court seeking justice against a Government order dated December 30, 2011, which had rejected his statutory complaint seeking resolution of a conflict in his service records that showed two dates of birth – 10 May 1951 as per the records held by the Adjutant General’s Branch (AG) and 10 May 1950 as per the records held by the Military Secretary’s branch (MS) at the Army Headquarters. All legally tenable evidence like birth certificate, school leaving certificate and prior legal advice from three or four former Chief Justices of India pointed only to one date – 10 May 1951 as the correct year of Gen VK Singh’s birth.
In the first hearing on February 3, the apex Court reprimanded the Government for its ‘vitiated decision making process’ which had resulted in rejection of Gen VK Singh’s statutory complaint. Throwing back the Government order of December 30, the honourable judges also offered the Government counsel to either withdraw this order or else they would quash it, as reported in the media. In the second hearing on February 10, even as the Government withdrew its impugned order, the Court surprisingly upheld the same Government decision that had rejected the General’s contention and maintained 1950 as his year of birth. It also ticked him off for reneging on his earlier commitments accepting the date he was now challenging. The General withdrew his petition
Have Peace, not Justice: Click here to read more

General VK Singh withdraws his petition on age row

Updated Feb 10, 2012 at 03:57pm IST
Age row: General VK Singh withdraws his petition
New Delhi: Army Chief General VK Singh has withdrawn his petition filed in the Supreme Court on the controversy over his date of birth. General Singh's counsel UU Lalit told the two-judge bench of Justice RM Lodha and Justice HL Gokhale that they do not wish to press the matter any further in the court. The apex court also asked the General to give an undertaking that he would accept his date of birth as May 10, 1950 within the next 48 hours.

The petition was withdrawn after Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati told the apex court that the government had never questioned the bonafide or integrity of General Singh and contesting the petition did not reflect any lack of confidence in the Army Chief.

Earlier, Vahanvati had told the bench that even though the government was resisting General Singh's plea, it was not against the highly decorated soldier.

General Singh's lawyer Puneet Bali said that the petition was withdrawn as the Army Chief was fighting for his honour and integrity. Claiming that the petition was not about General Singh's tenure, Bali said that the petition was only about determining the correct date of birth.

"The Government of India and the General sorted out the matter gracefully and amicably. Right from the time the petition was filed in the court, it was a matter of integrity. This petition was not meant for extension of service. We are satisfied with the court's ruling as the honour and integrity (of the General) has been restored. The honour and integrity is restored, and it wasn't meant to be beyond that for us. The matter has been amicably solved and we have withdrawn the matter," said Bali.

Adding that "this is the end of the matter", he said that they don't plan to agitate further on the matter.

Earlier, in a major setback to General Singh, the Supreme Court directed him to accept May 10, 1950 as his date of birth and asked him to withdraw his plea or else the court would pass an order on it. The General would complete his tenure as Army Chief on May 31, 2012 and retire on the same date.
click here to read more

Will MoD see sense in the date of birth evidence?

Age row: Time for MoD to see sense
February 7, 2012 DC
The way the wrangle over the issue of the Army Chief’s age has gone, the critical observations of the Supreme Court on matters relating to the subject last week should not cause surprise.

To those who don’t take recourse to splitting hairs, the defence ministry’s public position on the chief’s age appeared unduly hard, and not mindful of the sensitivity of the question that may have an indirect bearing on civil-military relations.

What appeared particularly combative was the recent observation of defence minister A.K. Antony that the government had shown “patience” in the affair, suggesting Gen. V.K. Singh was out of line in approaching the Supreme Court for justice upon the rejection of his statutory complaint by the ministry on December 30 last year.

While the Supreme Court is yet to go into the merits of the case of Gen. Singh’s age — and it has made that quite clear — it had no hesitation upholding Gen. Singh’s right to move the nation’s highest court with his plea. Besides, the court held that the government’s order of December 30 was against the principle of natural justice and was ultra vires.

The latter suggests misuse of authority or poor judgment in the exercise of powers. What must sting is the court’s suggestion that the government “withdraw” its December 30 order so that Gen. Singh may have the option to go with his plea on age to the Armed Forces Tribunal or to the high court, even indicating that the latter may be the preferable course as the general is due to retire in four months’ time.

It is pertinent that the Supreme Court framed its observations in the context of deficiencies in the process of decision-making, which it said had “vitiated” the decision in this case — leading to the rejection of the Army Chief’s statutory complaint. This is clearly a rap on the knuckles.

The court said that the government’s July 21 order dismissing Gen. Singh’s contention on age flowed from the advice of the attorney-general, and the later rejection of the statutory complaint of Gen. Singh against that order also derived from the advice of the same law official.

The court has all but indicated that if the government does not withdraw the December 30 order, it may proceed to “quash” it. The hard time the government is getting is of its own making. Evidently, the A-G’s advice in one too many high-profile case has proved less than sound. The government would also do well to get off its high horse.

It shouldn’t in every instance of dealing with the military imagine that it is preserving the notion of the superiority of civilian authority over the armed forces.
Age row: Time for MoD to see sense
Comment: Why is the MoD so obsessed with the succession plot evolved by former Army Chief's, Gen's JJ Singh and Deepak Kapoor whose intentions obviously are mala fide. MoD needs to honestly give its reasons and not use the Date of Birth as a ploy to play around.

Ex-generals and admirals being employed by munition dealers for lobbying in South Block

Army’s war within: corruption
Ex Servicemen used as conduit for corruption and bribes by the MOD
After General VK Singh had taken over as Chief of Army Staff in 2010, a retired Lieutenant General, whose name figures in the Adarsh Society Housing scandal called on him at the office ostensibly to discuss developments in Kashmir. After the polite conversation, the retired intelligence chief asked him about the pending heavy vehicle contract and blatantly made it clear that there was Rs 50 crore for him in cold cash if the Rs 400 crore deal was awarded to an East European manufacturer instead of Indo-Russian joint venture. The retired general was immediately escorted out of the Chief’s office and was declared persona non grata. The ex-serviceman was not the first or the last of his kind as greed seems to be good for Army’s top brass.

On Tuesday, the CBI registered a case against a former Army Vice Chief Lt General Noble Thamburaj for allegedly conspiring with a builder Kalpataru over a select piece of Pune Cantonment defence land. One of the companies of the same builder is also under the CBI scanner for illegally obtaining prime defence land in Kandivili in Mumbai with the support of former minister of defence production Rao Inderjit Singh and former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. The CBI has already registered a preliminary inquiry into the Kandivili land deal last month and moving towards registering a proper case.

After Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing scandal, involving two former Army chiefs and one former Navy chief among others, and Sukhna land scandal, which led to court martial and dismissal of former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, these two illegal land deals have taken the Army’s morale to a new low. From the unsavoury sagas of Ketchup Colonel, Booze Brigadier and Ration General, it becomes quite evident that Indian military is going through marked deterioration of human resource and character.

To top it all, there is growing politicisation of the Indian military for promotions, lucrative assignments and post-retirement jobs. The rot within the Indian defence establishment is clearly evident from the retired officers who liaison for defence contractors at golf courses and bars in Lutyen’s Delhi to ex-generals and admirals being employed by hardware dealers for lobbying in South Block.

In public perception the image of an Army officer is hardly different from that of an untrustworthy police officer. It is evident from these scandals that significant section within Army is out to make a quick buck and would do anything for few pieces of silver. This mindset goes right to the top, as otherwise, how one justifies that no less than five top generals including Kapoor and Thamburaj were declared low medical category for disability pension and IT rebates. Before the health of Indian Army deteriorates further without the help of Pakistani ISI or Chinese MSS, it is time that the UPA government intervened to stem the rot.

Fortunately, South Block has defence minister AK Antony and Army Chief Gen V K Singh at the helm of affairs at this crucial juncture. Both are above board integrity wise and cannot stand corruption. While swift action and stringent punishment act as a strong deterrent, it is time that the military mounted strong vigilance on its men and started the weeding out process at an early stage.

The promotions and postings process must be made totally transparent through technology with any interference from ruling party politicians or influential arms dealers. Promotion should be based on merit and not seniority as is the case now. Postings to big cities should be rotated fast so that an officer does not develop vested interest. There should be consolidation of defence lands sprawling all over the country with land records updated so that unscrupulous Army officers cannot illegally pass it on to builders.

While it is impossible to isolate or insulate military personnel from increasingly money oriented Indian society, it is important that military ethos is maintained or professionalism will be hit hard in the services. It is important to drive home the fact that the government takes special care of the armed forces through dedicated hospitals, housing, primary and secondary education and recreation facilities.

The average facilities provided to an Army Colonel, equivalent to a director level officer of central government, are far above as compared to his or her government counterparts. Same holds true for higher ranks. Yet there is increasing tendency within the armed forces to get attracted to money through illegal means or hardware deal making. The prevention exercise has to start from the top as the trooper on the border or the Line of Control looks towards the top brass as idols. Otherwise, all the respect won by those armed forces personnel who gave up their lives will be lost and Indian borders will be at peril.
Army’s war within: corruption

Adarsh Scam: List of officers in the dock

Gen Nirmal Chander Vij

Gen Deepak Kapoor

Lt Gen G S Sihota

Lt Gen P K Rampal

Lt Gen Shantanu Choudhry

Lt Gen Tejinder Singh

Maj Gen Ram Kanwar Hooda

Maj Gen A R Kumar

Maj Gen V S Yadav

Maj Gen Tej Kishen Kaul
Army probe faults 10 top Officers

Army chief's age issue: Government loses face either way

Army chief's age issue: Government loses face either way
January 05, 2012 09:48 ISTFor the armed forces, for whom their chiefs have been the sole leader, the age controversy has eroded their confidence in our State, feels Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).

It's time, he says, for the defence minister and the army chief to sit down and decide the issue based on legally tenable evidence.
There is a lot at stake in New Delhi [ Images ] for the prestige of the nation's most respected institution: The Indian Army [ Images ].
The issue of General V K Singh's age is not just an issue of the government accepting that he was born in 1951 as per his school leaving certificate which remains the basic document for proof of age, but it is also a case of the entire institution of the armed forces watching from the sidelines how the government deals with the man who heads their million plus army.

The general has undoubtedly been a revered leader in every appointment that he has served in the army and boasts a fabulous record of service. That he was destined to be the army chief someday was an opinion entertained by his colleagues even when he was a brigadier. The controversy of age has come to the fore repeatedly in the past, even when he was being appointed army commander of the Eastern Command. With our system of appointing the senior-most army commander as army chief on the army chief's retirement, by and large, he was already in line for the next chief then.

A lot was expected from General Singh when he took over as army chief. Hugely popular in the organisation, as army commander he had led a study to define the contours of transformation that the army requires to undertake. However, there has been very little news of the transformation contemplated while there has been a deluge of reports centered on the age controversy. The episode has been a setback to all but perhaps a few who have always enjoyed an unsavoury spectacle unfolding.

The issue of the army chief's age also influences the succession chain. Should the army chief retire early, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, currently the army commander, Eastern Command, is the most likely candidate to become the next army chief. However, should the ministry of defence accept the army chief's contention regarding his age, it would be Lieutenant General K T Parnaik, army commander, Northern Command, who could take over the reins.

A lack of trust between the army headquarters and the ministry of defence has existed for decades before the current model of the integrated HQ of the ministry of defence was put in place. The current model has failed to bring in the integration desired, nor has any effort been made to further joint functioning between the ministry and the three services. In effect, the ministry works with minimal representation from the services. For synergy between the military and the politico-bureaucratic combine to be genuinely operative, trust is a big factor. The age episode, as it gets played out in public, erodes the trust even further.

As far as army officers are concerned, a large majority of them feel their chief must get his due. Never have officers of the forces held the bureaucracy in high esteem. But for the odd defence minister like George Fernandes [ Images ], who made repeated trips to the Siachen Glacier and, rarely, if ever, combined his visits to military establishments with any political itinerary, none have ever even tried to earn any respect from the rank and file soldier.

For the men and women in armed forces, for whom their chiefs have been the sole leader, the age imbroglio has only eroded their confidence in our State. If we do have a case of the chief resigning now, as a lot of press reports suggest, it would definitely alienate the rank and file of the defence forces.

With all facts of the case being surely available, it's time for the defence minister and the army chief to sit across the table and decide the issue based on legally tenable evidence. The minister must realise that the government loses face, either way. However, if his decision is an honest one, it will at least be a display of moral courage and uprightness for a ministry surely in need of a more positive image.
Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd)
Army chief's age issue: Government loses face either way

Corruption at top Level has Harmed Image of Army: Antony

18-February, 2011 19:01 IST
Antony asks Army to keep a Watchful Eye on Smallest Developments in Neighbourhood
The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today asked the Army to be ever vigilant and keep a watchful eye on the smallest developments in and around our neighbourhood. Addressing the officers and jawans at a Sainik Sammelan at the 3 Corps HQ at Ranga Pahar, Nagaland, Shri Antony said though maintaining peace and tranquility along the border is crucial, we have to ensure that our operational preparedness is of the highest level.

The Chief of the Army Staff, Gen VK Singh, Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikram Singh and the GOC 3 Corps Lt Gen NK Singh were present on the occasion.

Shri Antony also asked the military personnel to establish a healthy relationship with the local populace, win the hearts and minds and to project the Army in a positive light.

Describing honesty and loyalty as the basic traits of a Soldier, the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony conceded that some recent instances of corruption in high places in the Army have brought harm to its credibility and image. He urged the Army personnel to ensure that the sense of pride and dignity of the Army is maintained at all times.

“I want to emphasise one issue for each one of you. A soldier is the pride of the nation. Honesty and loyalty are the basic traits of a soldier. Some recent instances of corruption in high places in the Army have brought some harm to its credibility and image. All of you must perform duties with sincerity and ensure that the sense of pride and dignity of the Army is maintained at all times. We will take very strict action whenever any case of corruption comes, or is brought to our natice”.

The Defence Minister, who is on a two-day visit to the North East, mingled freely with the jawans and enquired about their difficulties. He agreed with the suggestion given by a number of Jawans for the issue of a pair of boots every 12 months instead of the issue of the same under current provision of 26 months and asked the MoD officials to bring about this change. The jawans expressed happiness over the improved supply of ration. They also requested Shri Antony for chartered air service to Delhi.

Earlier, on arrival at the 3 Corps HQ, Shri Antony reviewed the security situation at the border and the progress made in the development of infrastructure in the North East region, with senior Army and MoD officials. Sitanshu Kar (Release ID :69907)
Corruption at top Level has Harmed Image of Army: Antony

KV school in AF Station, Thanjavur
This would provide a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning and also increased educational opportunities for the children of both defence personnel and civilians in the area. click here to read more

All Officers shortlisted for CVC tainted- Who heads dishonesty?

CVC drags Govt deeper
February 03, 2011 11:57:16 AM
Abraham Thomas | New Delhi
Reveals that all 9 officers shortlisted for CVC’s post were tainted

Raising a serious question mark over the procedures followed by the Centre in the empanelment of IAS officers from States, CVC PJ Thomas on Tuesday revealed that all the nine officers who were empanelled with the Centre in 2008 — including him — were chargesheeted or had complaints pending against them. Singling him out as a “unique case” was not proper, he pointed out.

The charge made by Thomas in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court has put a question mark on the whole empanelment process which allows any officer to move from States to the Centre and occupy an important position in the Union Government.

The Government had claimed that while empanelling Thomas as Central Government officer in 2008, CVC clearance was obtained and this was held out to be a certificate of his “impeccable integrity”.

The disclosure comes ahead of the Thursday hearing in the Supreme Court when the court is to take a final call on the suitability of Thomas to continue as CVC in view of a pending charge-sheet against him in the palmolein import scam, which dates back to 1991-92 during his tenure as Food Secretary with the Kerala Government.

In his affidavit, Thomas said, “Virtually every single officer in the zone of consideration (for empanelment at Centre) had complaints or chargesheets pending.” Besides him, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) prepared note with regard to eight other officers, who had far more serious charges of corruption, misappropriation and embezzlement listed against them. Except one, all other officers got cleared.

Relying on the data collected from the Department of Personnel and Training, Thomas said, “An impression has been created that my case is a unique one, and that I alone suffer some taint against my name. Clearly, it is routine for officers in the discharge of their duties to have cases slapped against them, many of which are trumped up or politically motivated.”

Defending others of his like who were chargesheeted, the affidavit added, “In an environment where a bureaucrat bears the brunt of protests against governmental action, it is necessary that an objective view be taken of how we officers function.”

But a look at the charges leveled against the officers defies all imagination of how these could be politically motivated. One of the cleared officers BR Kundal has been chargesheeted for misappropriation of sale proceeds of essential commodities. VS Dhumal, another officer whom CVC cleared, faces a complaint of immovable property acquired disproportionate to known sources of his income.

Tejinder Kaur is a unique case who got clearance despite Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recommending action for transfer of 15 acres of Government land to a cricket association, a matter which is sub-judice. There is also one Ashok Kumar, who got cleared despite a complaint pending against him of misuse of office and corrupt practices. Also, one Brajebeharaj Mahapatra survived the CVC scrutiny in the face of a chargesheet regarding wrongly claiming reimbursements and penalty of reduction to lower scale of pay imposed. There is a separate complaint of corruption pending against him in which the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended punishment.

Aware of the Centre’s stand in trying to distance itself from the controversy and the subsequent pressure on him to resign, Thomas stood his ground in the affidavit highlighting his merits --- being the senior-most among the serving cadre of Secretaries, and holding experience in administration, vigilance and policy making posts. Making out a case that the palmolein “taint” against him was political, Thomas said, “I have been held out to the public as a tainted officials. This is rather tragic as my record during 37 years of service has been without blemish.”

Tainted Thomas
•Singling him out as a ‘unique case’ not proper, says Thomas
•Allegations could be politically motivated, he submits in court
•Thomas lists his merits as ‘senior-most among the serving Secretaries, and holding experience in administration, vigilance and policy-making’
•Another empanelled member, Tejinder Kaur, got clearance despite CBI recommending action for transfer of 15-acre Govt land, he says
•Brajebeharaj, who had also been empanelled, survived CBI scrutiny despite being indicted by UPSC
•The disclosure comes ahead of the Thursday hearing in the Supreme Court when the court is to take a final call
CVC drags Govt deeper

Corruption disgraces India: PM
New Delhi: Corruption dents India's image, hampers good governance and needs to be tackled "boldly and quickly", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday.
"Corruption strikes at the roots of good governance. It is an impediment to faster growth. It dilutes, if not negates, our efforts at social inclusion," Manmohan Singh said, two days after former communications minister A. Raja was arrested for his suspected role in the 2G spectrum scam, billed as the country's biggest to date.
"It dents our international image and it demeans us before our own people," the prime minister said, addressing the second annual conference of chief secretaries of states here.
He said the challenge of corruption needed to "be faced frontally, boldly and quickly".
Corruption dents India's image, tackle it boldly- Read more

Army commander is the ultimate custodian of all military lands in his command

My Dear Chander,
I have been reading Gen Suman's articles with great interest and find myself in agreement with his views. However it is not so in the case of Sukhna and Adarsh scams. Refer: Scams & the Army: Silence is not golden by Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD- click here

May be his information is different than what I have come to know. His piece needs to be read along with my article, 'Malfeasance in the Military' which appeared in the Tribune. I have always maintained that commanders, from unit upwards must, like the Caeser's wife, be above suspecion.

Sukhna Case
The proposer of this school (girls school!) had earlier asked for an NOC to build a Resort. Army had declined to issue an NOC. On arrival of a new corps commander he changed tack and now wanted an NOC to build a school. (He is no educationist!) Now there is a law that no construction can be allowed within 1000 yards of the perimeter of a cantonment. This law is in the interest of the army. Surely the army cannot be a party to compromise the very law meant to safeguard its interests. It does not matter, for what purpose the building is.

We learn that the brochure of the so called school had the picture of the then MS showing him as the future director of the school. Further he had shown the school as an affiliate of Myo College at Ajmer. Which was totally false. This itself should give us an idea as to the type of person this Aggarwal is. This officer (MS) during his second tenure at IMTRAT in Bhutan (now as the commandant) rebuild the officers mess and this very Aggarwal was the contractor, who did the work. He (MS) was also the Colonel of Kumaon Regt (at Ranikhet) where two projects were under construction. One of War Memorial (Rs 1.5 crore) and the other to rebuild the museum. Kumaon Regt already had a first rate museum. One of the contractor was Aggarwal, not the same Aggarwal, but could be a relative or just a co-incidence! Do we see anything wrong in what happened at Sukhna!

Adarsh Case
The plot of land called, 'Khukhri Park' was handed over to the army in EXCHANGE for another piece of land taken from the army by the civil administration, some decades earlier. So this land was in possession of the army and belonged to it and there could be no two opinions on this point. While the DDE maintains the records of military lands and administers some part of these (perhaps other than Class A land) but the ownership remains with the military. Station, sub-area and area commanders are responsible to ensure that there is no encrouchment etc of this land. Army commander is the ultimate custodian of all military lands in his command. It would be wrong to assume that DDE could sell, barter or gift away or return this piece of land back to the civil or for that matter any piece of cantonment land (not even camping grounds which are 'stand alone' pieces of land far away from cantoments!) If that was not so, much of Delhi Cantt would have been lost by now. At Pune cantt, the then Defnce Minister, Shri Pawar wanted to grab some land but military put its foot down.

In the case of Khukhri Park, this land must have been handed back to the civil by the staff of DDE in FULL Connivance with those at Station, sub-area, area and command headquarters. DDE staff would have also done the necessary paper work to show the land as still belonging to the civil. Because as long as it was military land no private construction could come up on it. NOT even for Kargil Widows. There is absolutely no provision to hand over military/cantonment land to any civil society NOT EVEN KARGIL WIDOWS or WIDOWERS! It was a massive conspiracy! the subarea commander went to NDC and came back as area commander and stayed on to earn, AVSM and PVSM. Was also cleared for promotion to the rank of lt-gen without commanding a division. The only other case I know where a maj-gen was cleared for the rank of lt-gen, was Military Secretary to the President. AHQ had initially said NO to the President and it is only when he forced the issue (I believe at the threat of resignation) that AHQ had relented.

Those who took a flat had to pay Rs 60 lakhs or so each. Now this is a tidy sum for an officer to muster. I also learn that this area commander was going around 'arranging' money for some senior officers! The DEO has a complete floor (may be four to six appartments, so figure out the ammount he had to pay!) Let us await the outcome of military inquiry and the CBI's efforts. Now a high court bench too has been asked to investigate the case.

I am of the firm view that much wrong was done at, both Sukhna and Mumbai and it is near impossible to justify the wrong doings in these two cases.
With regards,
Lt Gen Harwant Singh (Retd)
Former DCOAS
Present Status of Adarsh
CBI to file FIR in Adarsh scam; may name Ashok Chavan as accused
Adarsh scam: Action against Ramanand Tiwari

Military resisting reforms remains mired in mediocrity

Response to article: Selecting Top Brass
Sir,
I must compliment you for providing a platform for healthy debate on issues of importance to the services. My response to the comments of Lt Gen Sharma is given below. Kindly have it circulated as well.
Warm regards,
Maj Gen Mrinal Suman

This refers to Lt Gen YN Sharma’s response to my article (click here). With due respect to his valued comments, I stand by every word of my article. I wish Gen Sharma had countered my arguments rather than talk of ‘evolution’ and ‘resilience’ of the system.
I agree that empanelment of Lt Gens is based on a ‘multi-level selection process involving Service HQ/MOD/ACC’. But, what happens after that? Lt Gen is the last rung of the merit-based ladder. Thereafter it is one’s date of birth that drives promotions – three years of residual service makes one a Corps Cdr and two years residual service makes one an Army Cdr. One may become the Chief if one was born later than other Army Cdrs. Where is merit?
Gen Sharma has quoted a few cases of alleged supersession which occurred decades ago. I do not know about the others but Lt Gens Balaram and Tuli were granted Army Cdr's status and pension as PSOs because they did not have required residual service to serve as Army Cdrs. That was done as a very special case. They were not superseded on merit or the lack of it. Both would have made outstanding Army Cdrs. On the other hand I can cite numerous cases where rare talent was lost. Lt Gen Narahari was one such person. That was my primary point which unfortunately remains unanswered.
It is a common sight to see senior officers huddled over seniority lists in lunch break in Delhi ticking names of likely Corps and Army Cdrs based on their inter-se age profile. It is a simple case of ‘vacancy vs date-of-birth’ match making. Every Lt Gen stands in a queue awaiting vacancy to occur before his age runs out. Today, everyone knows who the next Chiefs would be as they know the ‘age-queue’. Merit is no criteria at all. It is hard to believe that during the last 30 years (since Lt Gen Sinha’s supersession) every senior- most Army Cdr was the most competent officer to be the Chief.
Interestingly, a capable officer is refused Army Cdr’s appointment on the plea that he cannot provide two years continuous service. Yet, nearly every Army Cdr is shifted after one year in a game of musical chairs. ARTRAC has had 15 Army Cdrs in a span of 19 years – an average tenure of little over a year. What continuity are we talking about? As regards parochialism of some Chiefs, kindly refer to my article “Let Parochialism not Afflict the Services” (circulated by Brig Kamboj).
Finally, I must add that I am a proud Sapper officer and was never in the run for the appointments discussed. Therefore, I cannot be accused of subjectivity and attempting to ‘subvert the system’. With due respect to Gen Sharma’s views, it will be wrong to term suggestions for reforms as ‘growing exuberance/ cynicism/ intemperance’. Reforms help in evolution of institutions rather than ‘hurting the nobility and grace of our ethos’. Any institution that swears by status-quo and resists reforms remains mired in mediocrity. It is certainly a dangerous proposition for our much-admired Army.

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)

MOD asks Deepak Kapoor to Manage his own Disaster

With his appointment to head the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) stuck due to the controversy over Mumbai’s Adarsh housing society, former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Thursday met Defence Minister A K Antony to explain his position on the matter.

The meeting took place even as Army Chief General V K Singh said on Thursday that the Army had been shamed and its image had taken a beating due to the controversy surrounding senior serving and retired army officers who acquired flats in the housing society.

Sources said Kapoor told Antony that he returned the flat allotted to him by the society — along with former Army Chief Gen N C Vij and former Navy Chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh — and that he used his personal savings and loans to acquire it .

While Kapoor’s appointment with Antony was fixed earlier, the meeting came on a day when it was revealed that the government was not keen on his appointment to head the NDMA.
Scam has shamed Army, says Chief
Read more:
(Greedy) General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (b. 1948) was the 25th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee(COSC) appointed on 31 August 2009

Generals are making bucks exploiting heroism and sacrifices of its Soldiers?

The unspoken social contract
Express Buzz Vir Sanghvi First Published : 07 Nov 2010 12:21:00
At the heart of the relationship between the Indian Army and the people of India lies a mystery. It is a mystery so deep that even though the most brilliant scholars have spent decades trying to find a solution, none of their answers has been entirely convincing.

Here’s the mystery: the Indian Army, as we know it, was carved out of the army of pre-Partition, undivided India. Therefore, it has the same heritage and history (except for the last few decades) as the Pakistani and Bangladeshi armies, which were also set up by the British during the Raj. Until recently, officers in the Indian Army had even served with their counterparts in the Pakistani Army in the days before Partition.

But while the Pakistani and Bangladeshi armies have demonstrated a thirst for political power, the Indian Army has remained resolutely apolitical. Generals have run both Bangladesh and Pakistan. But no Indian General has ever come close to accessing political power.

What’s more, no Indian General has seemed remotely interested in becoming this country’s military dictator.

Why should this be so? Why should the Indian Army remain content to take orders from civilian politicians when its counterparts across the border are so eager to grab power for themselves?

It can’t be that our soldiers are merely following the British tradition. In that case, the Pakistani Army should never have left its barracks. It isn’t that our soldiers have enormous respect for their civilian masters. Give an army officer two pegs of a good whiskey, and he will tell you, in colourful language, how much contempt he has for the politicians who run our country.

Nor is it that we have kept the army out of domestic affairs. We use the army frequently to fight insurrections — in Nagaland, Mizoram, Punjab and Kashmir. Even when a riot rages out of control, the cry goes out: ‘Send in the army’.

It could be that Indian democracy is stronger than the kind of democracy practiced by our neighbours. But even when democratic rights have been suspended and an authoritarian regime has taken control of India — as happened with the Emergency — the Army has shown no interest in getting involved with the running of the country.

I have no solutions of my own to offer and the Army’s unwillingness to leave its barracks must remain a mystery. But what I know is this: there exists an unspoken social contract between the Indian Army and the people.

Basically, this consists of an agreement on our part to protect, indulge, admire, pamper and respect the Indian Army. In turn, the Army will do its own thing until we need it to save our bacon. Then, it will leave its barracks, clear out the Golden Temple, restore order to Bombay or Delhi, throw infiltrators and invaders out of Kargil, and guarantee the security and integrity of India.

Our part of the deal is that we will protect the Army from political interference. Except for a brief patch in the early ’60s, when Krishna Menon was defence minister, army promotions have not been unduly influenced by politicians. The chiefs are given free rein to do pretty much as they please. When the army forcefully expresses a demand (for pay revisions, better facilities etc) it usually gets its own way.

Also part of the deal is that Indians will hold the Army in the highest esteem. We will treat it as the one institution that has not been affected by the moral decline of Indian society. We may be prepared to criticise the paramilitary forces, and to accept that their men have committed human rights violations. But we will never accept that this could be true of the Indian Army.

Equally, we will never blame the Army for anything. In 1962, we were thrashed by the Chinese but the consensus was that politicians had lost the war while our brave soldiers had done their best. The 1965 war was at best a stalemate (the Pakistanis also claimed they had won) but we treated it as a glorious victory for the Indian Army. Operation Blue Star was a fiasco. But even today, it is Blue Star we remember favourably rather than Black Thunder (conducted by the paramilitary forces to clean up the mess left behind by Blue Star), a bona fide success.

By and large, the social contract has worked. The Army has nearly always got us out of jams when we need its services. Whether it was Delhi in 1984, Bombay in 1993, or Gujarat in 2002, we needed the Army to restore order. And during the Kargil War, young officers led from the front, sacrificed their lives and displayed astonishing bravery in the service of their country.

Consequently, the army sometimes appears to live in a state within a state. Visit a cantonment and you will be struck by the contrast with the civilian part of the town or city where it is located. The roads will be broad and well-maintained, the buildings will be freshly painted, the surroundings will be clean, and an air of good manners and civility will prevail. Visit an army town (Wellington, for instance) and the contrast will be even more striking. The order and cleanliness of the cantonments serves as a contrast to the chaos and filth of modern India.

There is, however, one important aspect of the social contract that now seems to be failing. As corruption has spread in modern India, we have reluctantly accepted that most parts of our society are tainted — civil servants, the schools and even the lower judiciary. But somehow, we have always believed that the army is different.

Oh yes, we hear the stories. We hear about Generals who take kickbacks on arms deals and about officers involved in canteen purchase scandals. But because this corruption appears to be restricted to the Army itself and because we believe that it is not widespread, we are happy to look the other way.

The problem with the Adarsh scandal and controversies over other land deals that have erupted recently is that they encroach into the civilian space. Senior army officers are seen to be conniving with politicians, bureaucrats and contractors to make millions.

Worse still, at least in the case of the Adarsh scandal, there is a cynical abuse of the social contract. When we say that we will respect and pamper the army, we do not expect senior officers to grab flats for themselves in the name of Kargil martyrs.

Earlier this week, the Army chief spoke about his resolve to cleanse his force. I am not sure he fully grasps how serious the situation is. The problem is not just that there are ‘a few bad apples’ in the army.

It is that Army corruption has now spilled out into the civilian space and that Generals are making big bucks by exploiting the regard we have for the heroism of the Army and the sacrifices made by its soldiers.

If more such instances come to light, then the press will begin looking critically at the Army. The politicians will have an excuse to delve deep into the workings of the officer corps. This will give them the opportunity they need to play favourites. And the public, regretfully recognising that the Army has breached the social contract itself, will reluctantly acquiesce in the muck-raking by the press and the interference by politicians.

Once this happens, the social contract will not survive. The image of the Army will not recover. And the perfect balance we have built between the Army and the Indian people will topple over.

So, the Army must urgently look at itself. It must crack down on corruption, identify the guilty men and act swiftly against them. It must do so now. Because too much is at stake. And tomorrow will be too late.
Exclusive to TNSE
The unspoken social contract

Veterans fume over Adarshgate

Published: Sunday, Oct 31, 2010, 3:21 IST
By Rajshri Mehta Place: Mumbai Agency: DNA
Even as an inquiry is on to detect duplicity, if any, by serving/ retired officers in the reappropriation of land occupied by headquarters, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa (MGG) area for the past 60 years, defence veterans are seething with anger.
On Saturday, Mumbai Citizens Group, a non-profit organisation, and other defence veterans demanded that chief of army staff General VK Singh initiate a court of inquiry to recover the land and the assets abandoned for use by the army and obviate the security concerns.
More importantly, they have sought an inquiry into the role of the alleged kingpin, Major General (retired) Tej Kaul, during whose tenure as general officer commanding (GOC), MGG area, the land was handed over to Adarsh, and RC Thakur, a junior officer in the defence estates department, where both own flats.
In their letter to Singh, the veterans said that since 2000, each of the GOCs, Maharashtra and Gujarat areas — Maj Gen AR Kumar, Maj Gen VS Yadav, Maj Gen TK Kaul, Maj Gen Tejinder Singh, Maj Gen RK Hooda — have become members of the Adarsh society for allotment of flats to them or their relatives.
The letter alleges that in return, these officers remained silent about the scam. “Kaul’s role should be probed well. It is the first time that an individual (Kaul) was first posted as sub-area commander of the MGG area, and he returns as the GOC in the same area," said a colonel based in Bengaluru.
“All those who approved the file, starting from Lt Gen Sihota, a beneficiary based in southern command at Pune, vice chief of army staff Lt Gen Shantanu Chaudhary, and the chief of army staff Gen NC Vij should be tried for criminal conspiracy and breach of trust," said a senior army officer.
Defence veterans have not taken kindly to the offer of the three chiefs: Admiral Madhvendra Singh, then chief of naval staff, Vij, and Gen Deepak Kapoor, to now return the flats. The letter demands that the trio be stripped of their ranks.
Veterans fume over Adarshgate

Related news
Earlier, the navy had informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that it had not given clearance for the construction of the building.
According to sources, Navy has written to them that it never issued a no objection certificate (NOC) to the Adarsh Housing Society.
Army is also expected to submit its internal report later this week. The Maharashtra Government will also submit its first probe report to the Defence Ministry in next two days.
Navy to submit Adarsh Society scam final report
Adarsh Society Members List: Click here

Army chief warns brass against Adarsh-like scams

Josy Joseph, TNN, Oct 29, 2010, 02.28am IST
NEW DELHI: The multi-crore Adarsh Society scam reverberated at the Army commanders' conference on Thursday, with Army chief Gen V K Singh asking his top brass to guard against such controversies in areas under their jurisdiction and ensure the image of the Army is not further tarred.

The scam over senior officers and influential persons owning apartments in the controversial Adarsh Housing Society in Colaba saw Gen Singh departing from his scripted interaction and underlining that the Army cannot afford more such debacles that would erode public trust in the institution.

The Army chief told senior commanders that "they have to ensure no such controversies erupt in their respective areas", sources said. The heads of the army commands and principal staff officers - who are the senior most Lt Generals of the Army - are attending the biannual commanders' conference.
Read more: Click here
Adarsh scam: Defence probe points to criminal conspiracy
Read more: click here

Gen Deepak Kapoor in the dock- in Colaba seafront?
The ministry of defence is collating all the relevant information from the three reports and is contemplating “punitive action” against its retired and serving personnel and the housing society. The options being considered included probes by CBI and by Income Tax on the money trail for the housing project. It will also ask the Army and Navy to initiate a court of inquiry into the serving personnel’s role in the episode to find out who transferred the land to the society, how they did it and when it was carried out.
Adarsh Society: Former Army chief seeks meeting with Antony: The Hindu

General Deepak Kapoor's greed surpasses his hearing disability?
Kapoor has been accused of owning a total of six properties in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi's Dwarka district. In August, Ambica Banerjee, who is an MP of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, asking how the General afforded these assets. Sources in the Defence Ministry say Kapoor has told Antony that he welcomes a formal investigation. Banerjee's formal letter of complaint states that in addition to the now-returned Adarsh flat, Kapoor owns a flat in Dwarka (a Delhi suburb), three houses in Gurgaon, and a penthouse in Lokhandwala in Mumbai. (Read: Does General Kapoor own five houses) Banerjee states that he has no documents to back these allegations, but that the information was given to him by a source he describes as a reliable government officer.
Read more at:
Does he own 5 houses? General Kapoor meets Antony
Adarsh Society Scam Members List

Tweaking Officers ACRs to guard against corruption and laundering black money
The Yearly Property Return of Officers should be indexed or attached alongwith the ACR Forms like the Annual Medical Report.

Tailpiece
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL- We Proved You Right (Interned in a Grave- he is smiling!)
I hope we can prove him wrong ultimately...
Have we proved him wrong or right?
Read what he wrote 64 years ago...
He wrote ...
"Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw. They will have sweet tongues & silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power & India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air & water would be taxed in India."
Incredible Man; we proved him right ...
Corrupt Indians; we proved him right ...

Bureaucrats confuse the RM: MOD doubts ownership of Defence Land

The Hindu NEW DELHI, October 29, 2010
Defence Minister A.K. Antony has directed the Army and the Navy to ascertain facts about the ownership rights of the land of the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai and whether, at any time, the plot was a defence land.

Concerned about the developments in the wake of an alleged scam, the Minister asked the two Services to inform whether the high-rise structure that has come on the land in Colaba area casts a shadow on national security, sources in the Ministry said.

On Monday, Mr. Antony said the Ministry was seized of the issue and examining the report seriously. The sources, said the decision was taken after a meeting on the issue.

Replies from the Army and the Navy, would form the basis on the kind of action the Ministry could take, the sources said adding that if necessary investigations could be outsourced.

The Minister is keen that the two Services expedite the replies considering that the winter session of Parliament is scheduled to start on November 9. The government anticipates that the issue would figure in the coming session. At the same time, the Ministry is conscious that an earlier response in 2003 did not reflect the correct picture and this time it wants to make sure that the replies from the Army and the Navy get a closer examination.
Mumbai land ‘scam': Antony wants facts ascertained

Ashok Chavan's Mother in Law in the fray?
Mumbai: How did a plot of land in Mumbai set aside for war widows and veterans morph into a 31-storey building with flats for politicians, bureaucrats and former army chiefs?
A trio of inquiries - by the Army, the CBI and the Environment Ministry - is trying to uncover that mystery. The high rise - the Adarsh Society - has been built in prime property in Colaba in Mumbai. Its flats were sold at a fraction of market prices for this part of the city.
The CBI is now examining who signed off on environmental and other clearances...
Read more at:
NDTV: Adarsh society flat for Ashok Chavan's mother-in-law?

Will Defence Ministry take over Scam- Hit Mumbai Military Complex?

Click here to read how an RTI activist blew lid off Colaba Military Land scam
Economic Times 27 Oct, 2010, 04.14AM IST, Josy Joseph,TNN Defence min may take over scam-hit Mumbai complex

NEW DELHI: Stung by the embarrassing scam in which retired military brass connived with Maharashtra bureaucrats and politicians to corner a prized piece of property in Mumbai's tony Colaba — all in the name of Kargil war widows — the defence ministry and the army chiefs have decided to come down like a ton of bricks and are considering invoking the Defence of India Rules (DIR) to take over the property and call in the CBI to probe the scandal.

These two options have been considered at the highest level in meetings between the defence ministry and the army brass where the Adarsh housing society scam, whose lid was blown off by TOI on Monday, was discussed at length. There are indications that the army brass is veering around to a takeover of the 31-storey complex and put it to military use. The promoters would, however, be reimbursed their cost.

Sources said the army headquarters has already recommended a CBI inquiry into the scam. The recommendation came in response to a query from defence minister A K Antony. "Since we do not have the legal standing to inquire into the conduct of the state government departments, we believe the CBI must look into how the entire manipulation happened and the guilty must be punished," a source said to explain the army's unusual readiness to be probed by an outside agency.

The recourse to DIR rules will mark an unprecedented step. Framed by the British to deal with challenges to their Empire, the rules have seldom been used since the Emergency in 1975. It is ironical that the rule is being dusted off to deal with a scam allegedly involving leaders of armed forces, politicians and bureaucrats who connived to misappropriate the land they got the army to release for war widows.

But DIR is seen as justified given the enormity of the embarrassment and the fact that the armed forces, normally zealous in guarding their turf, are okay with the idea of a CBI probe because, apart from retired military officers, several others are involved in the land grab, including officers of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation .

Sources said Antony has made it clear that the scam will not be swept under the carpet. On his instructions, the MoD has sought the army's response to the disclosure by TOI. The army headquarters has quite a task on its hand. The officials dealing with the issue have to reckon with the fact that the beneficiaries of the scam include two of its former chiefs, one former vice chief, one southern army commander and at least four officers who headed the MG & G Area (Maharashtra, Gujarat & Goa) in recent times.

All of them own apartments in the complex. The grim mood in the headquarters coupled with Antony's resolve indicates that the current leadership may not flinch from taking tough measures to repair the damage to military image.

The navy has its own share of embarrassment, with a former navy chief, a former chief of the western naval command and another senior admiral featuring among the flat owners in the housing society.
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Commentary: All Defence Estate Officers are linked to MOD Bureaucrats who are tasked to surreptitiously palm off defence lands to Criminal Politicians and Fake real estate promoters. This is happening for the last 60 years and most scams are buried under the carpet. The NOC tutorial is being applied and spreading all the time...! The Military is made a scapegoat by the scheming Bureaucrats- White Shepards leading the Black Sheep!