Military Secretary faces court martial

The Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, on Friday accepted the advice of Defence Minister A. K. Antony by ordering court martial proceedings against Military Secretary Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash for his alleged involvement in a land scam in the Darjeeling area of West Bengal. He would be the first three-star general to face such action. General Kapoor was overruled by Mr. Antony, who felt that the alleged misdemeanours of General Prakash were serious enough to merit a court martial and not just disciplinary proceedings preferred by the Army Chief.As Military Secretary, General Prakash is one of the closest aides to the Army Chief in dealing with daily matters and policy planning. The general is due to retire in a couple of days. General Prakash was indicted in an internal probe at the command level along with the then 33 Corps Commander, Lieutenant General P.K. Rath, his Chief of Staff at that time, Lieutenant General Ramesh Halgali and the then Brigadier Administration, Major General P.C. Sen. Following a court of inquiry, Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General V.K. Singh, who will be the next Army Chief, recommended termination of services of General Prakash and administrative action against the other officers. The controversy arose after General Kapoor recommended court martial proceedings against Lieutenant General Rath and issued a show-cause notice to others for administrative action. It was felt by many in the Army that General Kapoor was being unfair as the same punishment ought to have been meted out to all four officers. Mr. Antony overruled the Army Chief.

For Further: www.hindu.com/2010/01/30/stories/2010013061070100.htm