Defence minister A K Antony has overruled Army chief General Deepak Kapoor to clear the way for the court-martial of Lt-Gen Avadhesh
Prakash, the seniormost of the four generals indicted in the infamous Sukna land scam case.
Sources on Wednesday said Antony has `advised' a seemingly reluctant Gen Kapoor to take `disciplinary action' against his close aide and military secretary, Lt-Gen Prakash.
The court of inquiry (CoI), after all, squarely blames Lt-Gen Prakash for being the alleged kingpin in the entire conspiracy to further the `vested agenda' of his family friend and real estate developer Dilip Agarwal.
With eyebrows being raised about Gen Kapoor's `soft' decision to take only `administrative action' against Lt-Gen Prakash, rather than the harsher `disciplinary action' in the shape of a court-martial, Antony has stepped in to ensure the Army's image does not get battered any more, said sources.
Lt-Gen Prakash, who retires on January 31, will now have the dubious distinction of being the seniormost three-star general ever to face the ignominy of a court-martial in the 1.13-million strong force. Lt-Gen G M Nair, incidentally, will be the new military secretary.
"The minister's advice to Army chief amounts to being a direct order. Even after Lt-Gen Prakash retires, he can be attached to a regional Army formation for the court-martial under military law,'' said an official.
The `recording of summary of evidence' (framing of charges) and the subsequent court-martial (the actual trial) will now be held against Lt-Gen Prakash and Lt-Gen P K Rath for the alleged conspiracy to aid the transfer of 71-acre tea estate adjacent to Sukna military station to Agarwal on the pretext of opening an educational campus affiliated to the Ajmer-based Mayo College.
The other two generals indicted by the CoI into the Sukna case, Lt-Gen Ramesh Halgali and Maj-Gen P C Sen, will face `administrative action', which can range from merely a censure to dismissal from service.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sukna-Land-scam-Army-chiefs-aide-to-face-court-martial/articleshow/5506264.cms
Prakash, the seniormost of the four generals indicted in the infamous Sukna land scam case.
Sources on Wednesday said Antony has `advised' a seemingly reluctant Gen Kapoor to take `disciplinary action' against his close aide and military secretary, Lt-Gen Prakash.
The court of inquiry (CoI), after all, squarely blames Lt-Gen Prakash for being the alleged kingpin in the entire conspiracy to further the `vested agenda' of his family friend and real estate developer Dilip Agarwal.
With eyebrows being raised about Gen Kapoor's `soft' decision to take only `administrative action' against Lt-Gen Prakash, rather than the harsher `disciplinary action' in the shape of a court-martial, Antony has stepped in to ensure the Army's image does not get battered any more, said sources.
Lt-Gen Prakash, who retires on January 31, will now have the dubious distinction of being the seniormost three-star general ever to face the ignominy of a court-martial in the 1.13-million strong force. Lt-Gen G M Nair, incidentally, will be the new military secretary.
"The minister's advice to Army chief amounts to being a direct order. Even after Lt-Gen Prakash retires, he can be attached to a regional Army formation for the court-martial under military law,'' said an official.
The `recording of summary of evidence' (framing of charges) and the subsequent court-martial (the actual trial) will now be held against Lt-Gen Prakash and Lt-Gen P K Rath for the alleged conspiracy to aid the transfer of 71-acre tea estate adjacent to Sukna military station to Agarwal on the pretext of opening an educational campus affiliated to the Ajmer-based Mayo College.
The other two generals indicted by the CoI into the Sukna case, Lt-Gen Ramesh Halgali and Maj-Gen P C Sen, will face `administrative action', which can range from merely a censure to dismissal from service.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sukna-Land-scam-Army-chiefs-aide-to-face-court-martial/articleshow/5506264.cms
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