Succession row: AFT asks govt to respond to Lt Gen's petition

The two officers in question are Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who is likely to be the successor of Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh in 2014, and Western Army Commander Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra.

Hearing the petition filed by Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lt Gen Ravi Dastane, the bench of Justice N P Gupta and Lt Gen S S Dhillon asked the government and the two army commanders to file their responses to the petition in the next hearing.

The AFT declined to stay the appointment process for the vacancy of Army Commander falling vacant on February 1 due to superannuation of Southern Army Commander Lt Gen A K Singh.

In his petition filed by advocate S K Sanan, Lt Gen Dastane has pleaded that the Defence Ministry be directed to give him the "status and appointment of Army Commander from June 1, 2012".

Gen Dastane's previous counsel Maj S S Pandey had earlier said on June 1, the government had kept the post of Eastern Army Commander vacant for two to three days before Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag was appointed whereas Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachhra was appointed as the Western Army Commander on June 1. (More)