Army tribunal finds VK Singh guilty of violating rules
It quashed the court martial of former 33 Corps Commander Lt Gen PK Rath and ordered the Army to pay him Rs. 1 lakh for "undue harassment and loss of reputation."
Earlier, a court martial found Gen Rath guilty of issuing a no-objection certificate (NoC) to a private construction firm to set up an educational institution on a 70-acre plot adjacent to the military cantonment at Sukna forest area in West Bengal in 2011.
Sources said he had taken this forward after then military secretary Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash, during an official visit, noted the requirement for a good educational institute next to the 33 Corps headquarters.
Gen Prakash was also court-martialled months after Gen Rath was in connection with the Sukna land issue.
However, the tribunal on Friday observed that the NoC violated no rules as the land did not belong to the Army.
According to media reports, in his petition to the tribunal Gen Rath alleged that Gen VK Singh gave “undue importance” to the case as he had a "serious grudge" against Gen Prakash. Gen Prakash had made Singh commit to accepting 1950, and not 1951, as his date of birth. It later cut short Singh's tenure as Army Chief by eight months.
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