Amid a raging controversy over charges of ‘wife swapping’ in Navy’s Southern Command in Kochi, Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday ordered the dismissal of a Naval officer after he was found guilty of having illicit relations with his superior’s wife.
The order of dismissal of the officer, who is a lieutenant Commander (equivalent to a Major in the Army), from service was approved by Antony on the basis of the inquiry report submitted by the Naval Headquarters on charges against him, Defence Ministry sources said.
Without divulging the name of the officer, the sources said the officer was found guilty of ‘stealing the affection of a brother officer’s wife’, which is a punishable offence in the armed forces.
The dismissal of the officer came at a time when the Navy is in the midst of dealing with a police complaint by the wife of a lieutenant in Kochi accusing his seniors and colleagues of sexual harassment. The woman also made ‘wife swapping’ charges.
Taking serious view of the allegations levelled by the officer’s wife, Antony had ordered the Navy to submit a report in this regard.
The Navy has been consistently defending its officers and issued a statement saying “the wife of the officer has levelled unfair allegations against superior officers in her husband’s chain of command, their spouses and other officers who have interacted with her.”
The Navy has also promised full cooperation to the ongoing police investigations.