Army Chief promises action in Sukna land scam

Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor today "due action," on Thursday, under the Army Act against four generals allegedly involved in the Darjeeling land scam but said dispensing of justice will not be swayed by external considerations like "personal biases" and "media pressure".

"We will take due action as per the rules in the Army Act," he told a press conference on the eve of Army Day, referring to the subject suo motu in his opening remarks. Maintaining that the defence forces are the only organisation that takes expeditious and judicious action once any irregularities are found, General Kapoor said it was his responsibilty to "dispense justice that is firstly fair, secondly just and based on facts of the case and thirdly it takes into account the culpability of the individuals involved".

"Fourthly," he said, "justice that is not swayed by external considerations-- be it personal biases or media pressure or any other aspect. And perhaps that is the right way to dispense justice." General Kapoor said in the Sukna land case he has received inputs in the form of Court of Inquiry (COI) and recommendations of the Eastern Commander and the legal advice of the Adjutant General at the Army Headquarters.

Four generals-- Military Secretary Avadhesh Prakash, Lieutenant General P K Rath, 11 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Ramesh Halgali and Major General P K Sen-- have been indicted by a COI for their role in allegedly issuing 'No Obejction Certificate' to a private realtor.

General Kapoor's remarks on dispensation of justice assume significance against the backdrop of media reports that some of the indicted generals could get away lightly. At the outset of the press conference, the Army Chief began with the remarks that "before you ask questions, I would like to flag a few currently relevant issues and the first and foremost is the Sukna case" . He said after due deliberations and analysis of the case, a set of directions has been issued but added that as disciplinary proceedings were on, it would not be proper for him to comment on the case.

The Army Chief said that the case was brought to light by the Army itself and not by any agency outside. He said the Army, unlike other organisations, works on non-profit motive and in national interest and works on national security considerations. General Kapoor said the culture and ethos of the Army have to be retained at a high level and emphasised the role of media in this.