Sukna land scam: VK Singh calls Army panel's verdict dubious

Union Minister and former Army Chief General (Retd) V K Singh on Saturday called the Armed Forces Tribunal verdict in the Sukna land scam "dubious" and demanded that the government should go for appeal against the military panel's judgment.

Speaking to Headlines Today on Saturday, Gen Singh questioned the verdict, saying it has brought the individual and not the issue in focus. "Sukna scam is an open and shut case. It is a dubious verdict which will lead to more corruption," he said.

What did the Armed Forces Tribunal find Gen VK Singh guilty of?

The Armed Forces Tribunal on Friday quashed the court martial of Lt Gen (Retd) PK Rath, former Commander of 33 Corps, who was punished for his alleged role in a land deal in Sukna in West Bengal.

The Tribunal observed that Gen Singh violated rules, influenced a military court and harassed officers for "vengeance" bringing disrepute to the Army for personal gain.

The Tribunal allowed Rath's petition in which he alleged that Gen Singh had given "undue importance" to the case as he had a "serious grudge" against the then Military Secretary Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash, who he held responsible for obtaining a commitment from him on his date of birth issue, which stood in the way of his extension of tenure as the Chief of the Army Staff.

As a result of the date of birth issue, the Tribula noted, Gen Singh was not made the Vice Chief of the Army Staff and it "resulted in a vengeance in the mind of Respondent No.2 (GEN Singh) for which he held the then Military Secretary responsible and was looking for an opportunity to get even."

What is the Sukna land scam about?

An Army court had found Gen Rath guilty of issuing a no-objection certificate to a private builder in 2011 to build an educational institution on a 70-acre plot next to the military cantonment in Sukna. Gen Prakash was also court-martialled in the case.

Now, the Armed Forces Tribunal says the NoC did not violate any rules as the land did not belong to the Army.

How has Lt Gen (Retd) PK Rath reacted to the verdict?

Asked about V K Singh's role in his case, Rath said, "I would not like to get personal in these matters but I want to say that no person should be victimised by senior officers and the Army should ensure that it does not happen in future."

"I have suffered so much because of this for all these years. But the tribunal's verdict has vindicated my stand," he said.

Rath refused to comment on Singh's demand saying the ball was in government's court and it was up to it to take any decision in the matter.