This refers to the article, “New COAS: No need for needless talk” (December 20) by Uma Sudhindra. The appointment of lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the next Army chief, has met with expected allegations from the Opposition, which has accused the Government of bringing disrepute to the Army. The Congress must be reminded of the infamous and vengeful superseding of Justices JM Shelat, KS Hegde and AN Grover, for delivering a landmark judgement in Kesavananda Bharati case. The judges were robbed off of their post. The judges bore the brunt of the then ruling Government for being a part of the majority which proved to be more populist than the Government leadership of the time.
Our nation is undergoing a transitional phase. Age-old political orthodoxies are giving way to pragmatism and transparency. In such a scenario, abrogating the quixotic conventions of seniority-based appointments, especially for the Armed Forces, reflects the current Government's commitment towards good governance and reluctance towards traditionally-imposed political compulsions.