SC raps government for blaming Kargil heroes of being 'sluggish'

The Supreme Court has slammed the Centre for “insulting” soldiers who fought the Kargil war in 1999 and blaming them for being “sluggish” in their initial response to Pakistani incursions.

A Bench comprising Justices TS Thakur and R Banumathi said that such a characterisation could apply to all levels and that no fingers should be pointed at those who had died fighting for the country.

The remarks were made while hearing the Centre’s appeal against the Armed Forces Tribunal’s March 2, 2015 order quashing the January 2009 promotion policy.

"Why are you saying that people who lost their lives were sluggish? It is very unfortunate. Is it not a sad reflection on their supreme sacrifice? You are now saying that they died because they were sluggish," the bench said. "What about sluggishness in coffin purchase," it added, referring to the 'coffin scam' which took place during the war when the then NDA government had purchased caskets for soldiers from the US at an exorbitant price.  

Additional solicitor general Maninder Singh told the bench that the Ajay Vikram Singh Committee and other panels that had gone into the country’s response to the incursions had talked about the lapses and recommended a reduction in the average age of Colonels of the combat units from 40-42 to about 37 in line with the practice in Pakistan, China and Israel.

Singh said the government did not want to demean the sacrifice of soldiers but the casualties would have been much less had Army personnel been more active in the 1999 war.

Image: A scene from the Kargil war