Tribunal pulls up Gen V K Singh over promotion order

Court said, 'In present context, it appears that it is a clear case of showing favour to a particular individual

The Armed Forces Tribunal has pulled up Gen V K Singh for 'showing favour' and 'without jurisdiction' reviewing a central government order to promote a Brigadier belonging to his unit to the rank of Major General in October 2011 when he was the Army chief .

Dismissing a petition filed by Brigadier Ajay Singh Panwar, Tribunal's Principal Bench headed by Justice A K Mathur said the Defence Ministry had 'correctly approached' the matter by withholding petitioner's promotion to the next rank after finding 'glaring inconsistency' in his promotion records.

'In present context, it appears that it is a clear case of showing favour to a particular individual. In these circumstances, we find there is no merit in the petition and the same is dismissed,' the Tribunal said.

Brigadier Panwar had approached the tribunal for being promoted to the rank of Major General as he was cleared by a promotion board in October 2011, when Gen Singh was the Army chief.

His promotion was withheld after the Defence Ministry went through the minutes of the meetings of the promotion board and found that eight other officers, who had got better marks than him, were 'ignored'.

The Tribunal also observed that the then Army Chief had expunged certain remarks from the service record of the Brigadier over-riding a previous order by the central government.

'The entertaining of a second Statutory Complaint and reviewing the order of Defence Ministry was totally unwarranted coupled with granting high value judgment marks was also not warranted by the selection board, these two things put together shows that he was given favoured treatment from person who matters,' Justice Mathur said.