Army Major dismissal recommended, awarded 3-year RI

An Army Court has recommended dismissal of a Major and awarded him three-year jail term after he was found guilty of charges including communicating information to a foreign national.

Jaipur: An Army Court has recommended dismissal of a Major and awarded him three-year jail term after he was found guilty of four charges including communicating information to a foreign national and improperly accepting Rs 17.5 lakh from her.

A General Court Martial (GCM), consisting of five members as jury, was conducted to try Major Saurabh Saharan of the 61 Cavalry (presently posted to 2 Lancers) which commenced here on April 16, 2012 and concluded in February this year. The GCM found Major Saharan guilty of four charges and sentenced him to be cashiered and awarded 3-year rigorous imprisonment, Defence spokesperson Col S D Goswami said. "The findings and sentence of the GCM are subject to confirmation by the Competent Authority," he said. A US national, Nancy Chapman, had filed a complaint addressed to the Chief of Army Staff against the officer. The officer was tried for numerous charges including communicating information to a foreign national regarding official functioning contrary to the Indian Official Secrets Act, 1923, and improperly accepting Rs 17.5 lakh from her. He was also tried for improperly remaining in contact with the US national contrary to instructions contained in Contact with Foreign Nationals` (Army Act section 63), amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and making a false statement knowing fully well that the statement was false (Army Act Section 57 (a)), according to Goswami. PTI