A judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court declaring the sentencing of GCM and further by AFT against Maj R Metri, an AMC officer - By Brig CS Vidyasagar (Retd)

Indian Military Veterans

Dear Sir,

1. A judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court declaring the sentencing of GCM and further by AFT against Maj R Metri, an AMC officer in a recruitment rally as null and void and directed that the said officer be reinstated in service with all benefits is really sad and revealing. The judgment was delivered on 04 Apr 2022.

2. Some news papers in Rajasthan reported that Army recruitment rallies are held and medically unfit candidates are cleared by Army doctors after taking bribes. It appears the Army authorities in SW command took serious note of this practice without checking on ground as to what is the truth. Did such malpractice of taking bribes by medical officer can take place? What is the role of medical officers in the recruitment rally? 

3. The DDG Recruitment of Rajasthan Zone might have been instructed by over jealous staff officers in higher HQ to catch the culprits without satisfying as to whether any such scam ever took place. Anybody can write anything in news papers. Is that a proof?

4. If you read the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court you come to the conclusion that the sequence of events from getting prosecution witnesses, Court of Inquiry, Summary of Evidence and GCM are all stage managed just to prove that Army is morally un-corruptible. How do you prove? Make some as scape goats to prove Army is a saintly organization. This takes my mind to the news paper reports of (late) Gen Bipin Rawat, former COAS who is reported to have said proudly that he stopped Army Officers on temp duty to avail hotel accommodation because he was convinced the Army Officer exchange suitcases. If the officers were to take bribes would they not do in army officers guest rooms on temp duty? The babus of Min of Def must have congratulated the worthy COAS for his boldness to say Army Officers are corrupt. At the same time these same very babus stay in 5 star hotels during temp duty. 

5. Earlier a court of inquiry was held, followed by Summary of Evidence and finally a GCM which cashiered the AMC officer and sentenced him to undergo three years RI on the charge of taking bribes in the recruitment rally held in Rajasthan in 2008 – 09 simply on the basis of a so called confessional statement by Maj Metri. The worthy senior officers’ statement were taken as gospel truth. The competent authority also upheld the sentence awarded to the medical officer. But the officer challenged the sentence of GCM in AFT who were kind enough to reduce his sentence to one year. The Min of Def filed the case in Hon’ble Supreme Court against the judgment of the AFT. 

6. The judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court is revealing and is attached. Here three serving senior officers of ranks of Brigadier and two colonels have coaxed and convinced this poor AMC officer to give a confession statement. I have not understood why should this AMC officer give a confession statement that he took money to clear the candidates when he did not. What is the motive of these three serving officers to implicate a poor AMC Major? It is something like the so called espionage case of Samba Spying of 1977. Innocent soldiers and officers were implicated. But the senior guys got their promotions. 

7. The Hon’ble Supreme Court may take years to give judgment but atleast they do give justice to poor accused persons. The Supreme Court firstly refused to accept the so called confessional statement of the medical officer as evidence and held that it has no evidentiary value. Secondly the sequence of events and the statements of others who were also found to have been involved in this so called recruitment scam do not corroborate. In any case in the recruitment rally, the role of the medical officers is very limited. You can guess who might have told ADG recruitment to fix the guys to prove that Army took immediate action on coming to know through news paper reports that bribes ensure unfit candidates are selected in the recruitment rallies. I am told we have military intelligence officered by excellent officers. What was these guys doing if news paper report says that bribes ensure one is selected in the Army recruitment rally? These guys wear civil clothes and move in civil painted vehicles and keep snooping all over as modern james bonds. Did they find bribes were ever paid? Have they inquired whether there are touts who operate in the area. One of the officers involved in recruitment say 90% of the selected candidates pay to touts though they were otherwise fit physically and mentally. 

8. Do read the judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court in your spare time. This shows how moral values have come down in the Army just to create a bogus scam and forces some innocent persons to give confessional statements implicating themselves. I hope the serving armed personnel read such judgments to protect themselves.

Warm regards, 

Brig CS Vidyasagar (Retd)

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