New Delhi: On the basis of media reports,
Army Chief General V K Singh had levelled the allegation that the Defence Ministry "lacked objectivity" and was "biased" on
his age issue, the Defence Ministry has said.
"It is little odd that Chief of Army Staff has chosen to
come to a conclusion that the reference made by the Defence
Ministry to Attorney General (AG) lacked objectivity, was
biased and designed to procure a particular opinion," the
Defence Secretary had said in a note sent to Defence Minister
A K Antony in June this year.
The then Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar had made these
remarks on the petition submitted by Army Chief to Defence
Minister A K Antony on his age issue after the AG had opined
that May 10, 1950 should only be considered as his date of
birth.
He said the Army Chief had arrived at this conclusion
without even going through the reference made to the AG
"merely on the basis of the reports appearing in the media and
calls made to him by some journalists."
The Defence Secretary said the Army Chief has given his
"misgivings" about the first reference made by the Defence
Ministry to the AG to seek opinion on his date of birth issue.
"In order to address his concerns about his point of view
not being projected properly, it would be best if his petition
(submitted to Defence Minister on May 25) along with
enclosures is forwarded to the Law Ministry and the AG again,"
Kumar said in the Ministry noting accessed through RTI.
In the review opinion also, the AG had stuck to his
previous view that Gen Singh's date of birth could not be
changed to May 10, 1951. If 1951 was accepted, the army chief
would have got an extra ten months in office.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, October 06, 2011, 16:30