New Delhi: The Armed Forces Tribunal
today asked the government to file its reply on the petitions
moved by two serving Lieutenant Generals for not being
appointed Corps Commanders.
Eastern Command`s Chief of Staff Lt Gen J S Bajwa and
Central Command Chief of Staff Lt Gen P G Kamath have filed
pleas in the Tribunal against the Defence Ministry for
promoting them from Maj Gen to Lt Gen in the `Staff` stream
and not in the higher `Command` stream.
Admitting the case, the Tribunal Bench headed by
Justice A K Mathur asked the government counsels to file their
reply to the contentions made by the two Generals.
As per an existing Army policy, officers of the rank
of Maj Gen and above are allocated one of the two streams on
the basis of their ACRs.
Officers allocated the Command stream are eligible for
leading both fighting formations and performing staff duties
whereas the officers in the other branch are given only staff
duties.
In their pleas, the two officers contended that they
were not promoted in the Command stream as the Ministry said
the rules required the officers to have three-year residual
service.
They have also alleged that the Ministry had changed
the policy to favour a number of other serving Corps
Commanders, who were elevated in the Command stream despite
they not having the minimum required residual service
left with them.
PTI
