NEW DELHI - On the day media reports spoke of a Court of Inquiry (CoI)recommending action against four senior Indian Army officers for their role in a land scam in Sukhna cantonment in West Bengal, the army Wednesday only acknowledged that the inquiry had concluded.
“The Court of Inquiry has been completed and received by Army HQ today. The proceedings of the Inquiry will now be analyzed as per the existing Standard Operating Procedures in accordance with the military law,” an army statement said.
Media reports Wednesday said the COI had recommended “termination of service” of Lt. Gen. Avadhesh Prakash, the Military Secretary at army HQ here and the initiation of court martial proceedings against Lt. Gen. P.K. Rath, whose appointment as deputy chief of army staff has been scrapped by the defence ministry.
According to sources, the army court has indicted the two officers for their role in issuing a no-objection certificate to a private establishment that falsely claimed to be establishing an affiliate of the well known Ajmer-based Mayo College on land adjacent to the Sukhna military station in Darjeeling district.
The CoI is also reported to have recommended administrative action against another lieutenant general and disciplinary action and court martial against a major general.
It is reiterated that the army is amongst the few organizations which is very sensitive to any irregularities and has proactively sought immediate and timely action against those indulging in any wrongs, the statement added.
Prakash is one of the eight Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) at Army HQ who act as advisors to the army chief. As Military Secretary, he is responsible for the promotions and postings of officers.
P.K. Rath was commander of the Sukhna-based 33 Corps when the alleged land scam took place.
Related News
Oz dad 'forced son to have sex with hooker' over gay fearsDecember 23rd, 2009 MELBOURNE - A Rockhampton dad is facing a rape trial after allegedly forcing his son to have sex with a prostitute because he feared the 14-year-old was gay. It is said that during a family barbecue around Christmas time in 2007, the dad allegedly phoned a prostitute and arranged to meet her at a motel on Yaamba Road, North Rockhampton.
Pakistan Taliban claim thousands of fighters sent to Afghanistan to fight US surgeDecember 23rd, 2009 Pakistan Taliban say fighters going to AfghanistanSHAKTOI, Pakistan — A top Pakistani Taliban commander says he has sent thousands of insurgents to neighboring Afghanistan to rebuff incoming U.S. troops. The claim comes as an army offensive has apparently pushed many of his fighters to flee their main redoubt.
Dutch court considering request to remove teen sailor Laura Dekker from father's homeDecember 23rd, 2009 Dutch court mulls removing young sailor from homeTHE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court is considering a request from child welfare authorities Wednesday to remove 14-year-old sailor Laura Dekker from her father's custody after she ran away from home and flew alone to the Caribbean. Laura, her divorced parents and welfare authorities will discuss her case at Utrecht District Court.
Defence ministry nod for artillery trialsDecember 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The defence ministry has given the go-ahead for trials of 155mm towed guns in which blacklisted armaments firm Singapore Technologies Kinetics is the sole contender in the fray, an official said Wednesday. However, a deal will be signed only after the probe in the corruption case against the company is over.
Prachanda accuses India of meddling in Nepal's affairsDecember 23rd, 2009 KATHMANDU - Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias 'Prachanda' has accused India of meddling in Nepal's affairs. Addressing a victory rally to wrap up a three-day nationwide general strike here on Tuesday, Prachanda accused the Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor of opposing the merger of the Maoist People's Liberation Army with the Nepal Army.