New Delhi: Amid the raging row over his age
issue, Army Chief Gen VK Singh on Tuesday remained non-committal
on whether or not he will move court to seek redressal on the
matter.
"It is a purely personal issue and I desist from making
any public comment on the issue," he told reporters when asked
if he had kept the option open on approaching court to settle
the dispute over his year of birth.
The question was asked in the context of the Defence
Ministry rejecting his statutory complaint for not treating
May 10, 1951 as his year of birth as against May 10,1950.
The Defence Ministry has twice rejected Gen Singh`s claim
of accepting May 10, 1951 as his date of birth, which would
have given him an extension of ten months in office.
Recently, Gen Singh had said the idea of approaching the
court on the age issue has not occurred to him.
The Army Chief has two sets of date of birth in the
records. The records with Adjutant General`s branch show it to
be May 10, 1951 whereas the Military Secretary`s branch
records it to be May 10, 1950.
Asked if his differences with the Ministry were over, Gen
Singh said, "When there were no differences at any point of
time (on the age issue), how can they be now?"
He was evasive when asked if the `chapter` over his age
issue was over, saying, "I don`t know whether the chapter was
open or has been closed. This is a personal issue and I will
not comment on it."
When pointed out that he had given interviews recently on
his age issue, the Army Chief said, "That was part of army day
fixtures. If somebody has breached the trust, you are there to
ask... please ask your colleagues why it has appeared and what
has appeared, I have got nothing to do with it."
PTI
