The Defence Ministry will take a call next week on Western Command chief Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha’s letter seeking voluntary retirement after he was overlooked for the Navy chief’s post. The Government ignored the seniority principle in Sinha’s case even as this could cast a shadow on the selection of the next Army chief after incumbent General Bikram Singh retires on July 31.
Since the Ministry received Sinha’s letter late on Thursday night after his junior Rabindra Kumar Dhowan was appointed the new chief and due to an extended weekend, the Government will study the case on Monday, Defence Ministry officials said here on Friday. They also said due process will be followed in accepting or rejecting Sinha’s case.
An armed forces officer has to put in 20 years of service before he is entitled for full pension and other post-retirement benefits. He can seek retirement at any time after 20 years and if not facing discipline or vigilance related proceedings. In Sinha’s case, there are no such hindrances and he may be allowed to be go home, sources said.
The Government will also announce the names of new vice chief of Naval Staff and Western Command next week as these posts fell vacant. Dhowan was the vice chief and acting Navy chief since February 26 when Admiral DK Joshi resigned owning moral responsibility for a series of mishaps involving warships.
Moreover, if Sinha’s offer is also accepted, the Government will have to appoint the new Western Command chief, they said adding this command is the most prestigious and strategically important command of Navy and cannot be without a head for a long time.
Having done away with the well-established norm of appointing the seniormost officer as Service chief, the Government’s decision has thus also cast a doubt on the appointment of the new Army chief. Incidentally, this was the first time that the seniority principle was not adhered to while selecting the Navy chief.
In case of Army, vice chief lt General Dalbir Suhag is the seniormost officer and frontrunner for the chief’s post after incumbent General Bikram Singh retires on July 31. The Government normally announces the name of the new chief two months before the due retirement of the incumbent.
With one month left for its tenure in office, the present Government may defer the decision till June and let the new dispensation appoint the new chief, sources said. The then Army chief General, VK Singh, had initiated a vigilance probe against Suhag two years back. Soon after taking over, Bikram Singh withdrew that order and Suhag went on to become Eastern Command chief in mid 2012.