Army to issue retirement note to General Singh next week

With an official communication to be sent to Army Chief General VK Singh next week about his tenure ending on May 31, the Defence Ministry will announce his successor soon.

The Defence Ministry has shortlisted three seniormost officers-- Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikram Singh, Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Shri Krishna Singh and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen K T Parnaik for the top post.

Gen Singh, who is slated to return from his UK trip on February 20, will be given the Retirement Warning Letter (RWL) by the Military Secretary branch in the next few days, official sources said today.

RWL is normally given to officers about 10-11 months before their due date of retirement but had not been issued to Gen Singh as he had filed official pleas to get his date of birth changed.

The MS branch is awaiting the Supreme Court documents in the case and will issue the RWL soon thereafter, the sources said.

After rejecting Gen Singh's plea to change his date of birth to May 10, 1951, the Defence Ministry in November last year had asked the MS branch to issue the letter.

The MS branch expressed its inability to do so saying that the matter was sub-judice.

The Army chief had at that time had filed the Statutory Complaint with the Defence Minister AK Antony to accept May 10, 1951 as his date of birth.

On February 10, the Army Chief withdrew his plea on the age issue in the Supreme Court which held that May 10, 1950 will remain as his date of birth in service records.