Mend your ways or bail will be cancelled: Court to V K Singh

A Delhi court on Thursday warned former Army Chief General V K Singh for making defamatory remarks against ex-Lt Governor of Delhi Tejinder Singh, who had filed a criminal defamation case against him and four others, saying it would lead to cancellation of his bail granted earlier.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja disposed of the plea of Lt Gen (Retd) Tejinder Singh seeking cancellation of bail granted to the former Army Chief but issued certain directions saying V K Singh should "mend his ways and refrain from repeating the defamatory remarks" against the complainant and not to use derogatory language about the court.

"I deem it apposite not to cancel bail of accused no.1 (V K Singh) at this stage and give the accused no.1 a reasonable opportunity to mend his ways and refrain from repeating the defamatory remarks against the complainant and using derogatory language in respect of courts.

"It is clarified that in case in the future, if the accused no 1 indulges in repeating the defamatory remarks against the complainant or use of derogatory language in respect of this court, then this court would be constrained to take a stricter view of the matter and cancel the bail of the accused no.1," the magistrate said.

Meanwhile, V K Singh, who sparked a political storm by claiming that certain Jammu and Kashmir ministers received funds from the army, on Thursday said the money was used only to bring harmony and stability in the state and not misused.

"Let me clarify categorically. No army funds have been misused in Kashmir. They have been used in Kashmir to bring in harmony, to ensure stability in that state,to ensure youth get involved in activities which are beneficial for them and for the state and for development and infrastructure," he said.

He was replying to a question from a student at Loyola college in Chennai, while participating in a panel discussion on corruption.

Asked by reporters later if he had 'let out a secret' by publicy mentioning about the funds, Gen Singh said whatever he had stated had already been revealed by former U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford in 2011, which was reported in an English daily.

"What secret has been revealed by me was already revealed by (former US Ambassador to India) David Mulford, published in the Economic Times on September 5, 2011. Please read it. David Mulford said everybody in Kashmir gets money and I said the same thing. I have not revealed anything," he said.

Singh had claimed that money was paid to certain ministers in Kashmir, drawing angry responses. Singh's assertion that the funds meant for stability purposes since Independence was rebuffed by eight former army chiefs.

On recent incidents of violence along the Line of Control with Pakistan, he primarily attributed it to intelligence failure and 'tinkering' with the intelligence apparatus.

"When you start tinkering with the intelligence apparatus of this country and of the army, things will go wrong. And we have seen in the recent few days on how secrets were let out."

Singh also criticised government over alleged interference in functioning of the army when soldiers were beheaded.

"When you start saying you will not believe ground reports that it was the Pakistani army and terrorists who came across (the border) and shot our soldiers, but that we are going to send somebody who comes and gives a report that the terrorists were having a fancy dress party on the border by putting on Pakistan army dress, then things will go wrong."

Defence Minister A K Antony's statement on killing of five Indian soldiers in Poonch in August this year had sparked a controversy after he described the intruders as "terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniform," while an army spokesman said "soldiers from Pak army" were involved.

The army had later said the ambush was by about 20 heavily armed terrorists along with soldiers of the Pakistani army.

On reported differences between Congress and Prime Minister on the ordinance on convicted lawmakers, which has been withdrawn, he said it was for people to form an opinion. "Once they have formed their opinion and we see how things are going... that's why I said let us be the change we want."

Image: Former Army Chief Gen V K Singh

Photograph: Reuters