The appointment of lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army chief now has to pass muster with the Supreme Court. On Thursday, the apex court decided to hear a petition filed by a senior Army officer challenging Suhag’s ascendancy to the top post following a controversial disciplinary ban imposed on him by then Army chief VK Singh.
The Vacation bench of Justices Vikramajit Sen and SK Singh directed the application filed by lt Gen Ravi Dastane to be listed in second week of July. A request was made by Dastane’s counsel for an urgent hearing since Suhag was to take over as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on August 1, while Dastane is slated for superannuation on August 31.
The application formed part of a main appeal filed by Dastane challenging Suhag’s appointment as General Officer Commanding-in-charge (GOC-in-C) of the Eastern Command. In the application, Dastane said that if he was to succeed in his appeal, Suhag’s appointment as Eastern Command chief would go, that further would disentitle him from assuming the top post.
Although Dastane lost before the Armed Forces Tribunal, the apex court has kept the matter pending since December 2013, even directing Suhag to file a response. The matter was listed for next hearing in September. Advancing this date, the apex court found merit in Dastane’s argument that the appointment of Suhag as a Army chief had a direct link with the dispute pending before it.
The disciplinary and vigilance (DV) ban on Suhag was imposed by then COAS for alleged ‘failure of command and control’ in an operation carried out by an Intelligence unit working directly under him while he was 3 Corps commander in Dimapur, Assam. Then COAS Gen VK Singh, who is now Minister of State in the NDA Government, had openly objected to Suhag’s name as next COAS, more so because the DV ban imposed by him was lifted by Bikram Singh.
Dastane argued that instead of making him the GOC-in-C of Eastern Command, the post was deliberately kept vacant till the DV ban against Suhag was lifted. Thus not only he lost his chance to head the Eastern Command but also failed to emerge an equal contender for the Army chief post. Dastane questioned the hurry of then UPA Government to announce Dastane as COAS with over three months remaining for the vacancy.