Singh’s parting shot: Sukna accused cashiered
28 May 2012 4:20 AM GMT
The outgoing army chief Gen V K Singh cashiered Avadesh Prakash, who served as the military secretary to the former army chief Deepak Kapoor, on the recommendation of the Eastern Command-based court martial. The court martial was instituted in 2010 against Lt Gen Prakash when he emerged as the prime suspect in the now infamous Sukhna land scam case.
The cashiering by the incumbent army chief means that Prakash has been stripped of his rank and honours. Prakash will not be addressed by an army rank now, with the force making him a civilian.
Prakash was charged with backing a private real estate developer Deepak Agarwal in an effort to acquire a piece of land just outside the Sukna military station near Siliguri in north Bengal. He had sought to influence the process through the office of Lt Gen. P K Rath, the Corps commander based in Sukna.
Rath was also convicted by a court martial.
The other senior officer of the army, now Major Gen Ramesh Halgalli, was given a lighter punishment of administrative censure.
The case had erupted in the last days of the tenure of Gen (retd) Kapoor. He had sought to protect Prakash by taking administrative action against him after a Court of Inquiry indicted him. But, Kapoor had to reverse his order after the defence minister A K Antony specifically instructed him to set up a court martial against Prakash.
Gen Singh was then commanding the Eastern Command and had recommended cashiering both Prakash and Rath, but his recommendation was turned down by Kapoor. Sunday's order by the army chief brings closure to the case that had given the first inkling of all that was wrong with the army.
The Adarsh society scandal in Mumbai broke soon after that.
The cashiering by the incumbent army chief means that Prakash has been stripped of his rank and honours. Prakash will not be addressed by an army rank now, with the force making him a civilian.
Prakash was charged with backing a private real estate developer Deepak Agarwal in an effort to acquire a piece of land just outside the Sukna military station near Siliguri in north Bengal. He had sought to influence the process through the office of Lt Gen. P K Rath, the Corps commander based in Sukna.
Rath was also convicted by a court martial.
The other senior officer of the army, now Major Gen Ramesh Halgalli, was given a lighter punishment of administrative censure.
The case had erupted in the last days of the tenure of Gen (retd) Kapoor. He had sought to protect Prakash by taking administrative action against him after a Court of Inquiry indicted him. But, Kapoor had to reverse his order after the defence minister A K Antony specifically instructed him to set up a court martial against Prakash.
Gen Singh was then commanding the Eastern Command and had recommended cashiering both Prakash and Rath, but his recommendation was turned down by Kapoor. Sunday's order by the army chief brings closure to the case that had given the first inkling of all that was wrong with the army.
The Adarsh society scandal in Mumbai broke soon after that.
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