A civilian vs military row?

11:00 PM, Thursday Sep 08, 2011
With echoes of it not dying down, can the controversy surrounding Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh’s date of birth (DoB) be construed as a civilian versus military contest, with all the dark meaning attached to that thought?

As required by the Constitution, India’s armed forces have scrupulously functioned under civilian supremacy, with the political establishment having the last word. This time around the head of the Indian Army has filed a statutory complaint with the government to have a grievance redressed. To this he is entitled. But such a step breaks news ground, as it leaves open room for future court procedures or the Army Chief’s resignation. In both cases, fresh controversy can be generated.
Noted lawyer P.P. Rao said about the episode, “This should not be viewed as a civilian versus military conflict. It is an individual claim for correction of records. It is a matter concerning an individual who happens to be Chief of Army Staff (COAS). If the government rejects the claim and the statutory complaint, the individual (the Army chief) has the option of going to court.”
But a lawyer who had earlier provided legal advice to Gen. Singh on the DoB issue and did not want to be identified, told this newspaper, “If the Army Chief were to go to court, it will have a disastrous impact on the morale of the troops. It could also be seen then as a civilian versus military conflict and the government would then be well within its rights to even remove the chief from his post.”
Former Army deputy chief Lt. Gen. Raj Kadyan (Retd) noted, “Gen. V.K. Singh has filed a statutory complaint with the government which is his legitimate right. Should the outcome go against him, it is for him to decide whether to pursue the matter further in the court.”
He added that the matter should not be seen as a civilian versus military conflict and pointed out that there were some people in the civilian establishment “who have started giving the issue an undesirable twist”.
The Army headquarters has formally backed its Chief on the DoB issue, saying recently that “the value of a matriculation certificate cannot be wished away”