Former Army Chief General VK Singh has issued a legal notice against Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, threatening to drag him to court over alleged “failure” to act upon his complaints of “sedition and treason” against certain individuals. In the notice served to the Home Minister, through his lawyer Vishwajeet Singh, the retired General, who joined the BJP on Saturday, asked, “Why judicial intervention should not be sought in the matter against you for dereliction of duty in such a serious matter that has direct implications on India’s national securityIJ”
The former chief said he had complained to Shinde on “offences of sedition, treason and violations of the official secrets act by certain individuals” referring to some media publications on “attempted military coup” and had sought probe into the matter. Singh has given a week to Shinde to respond to his notice, failing which, he will initiate legal action against him.
The alleged offences mentioned by Singh against some media persons and Army officials were related to violations under Official Secrets Act, 1923 and the National Security Act, 1980 as also under various penal provisions of Indian Penal Code, 1860. Singh said he had issued a reminder to the Home Minister in December seeking response on his previous complaint. Shinde, however, did not respond either to the complaint or to the reminder, the notice said. “You chose to initiate no action whatsoever upon receiving the said complaint. You further chose not to respond to my client or inform him as to the reasons for not taking any action on his complaint,” it said.