New Delhi:
Ahead of a likely battle in the Supreme Court, the government has reacted on record for the first time to the army chief's decision to go to court to establish how old he really is.
Describing General Vijay Kumar Singh's move as "unfortunate," Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju said today that the matter is sensitive and it " is not a healthy precedent" either for the Defence Ministry of the armed forces. (Read: 10 big facts about Army chief vs govt)
In his petition to court, the General has asked the government to explain why it will not accept his claim that he was born in 1951 and not 1950. The Supreme Court has not indicated if General Singh's petition has been accepted. But the government made its move yesterday, formally requesting the court not to pass any order on the army chief's petition without hearing the government. The General filed two appeals in the last few months with the Defence Ministry, asking that 1951 be agreed upon as his birth date. He opted for the Supreme Court after those appeals were rejected.
Privately, sources say, the government had been trying to negotiate a compromise with the General -it would state that he had not misrepresented his age, and in exchange, General Singh would retire, as scheduled, at the end of May.
The General has said that he is not interested in extending his tenure. His court case, he says aims at protecting his "honour and integrity." As the dispute became louder, the government attempted in recent weeks to back the General without changing its stand. Law Minister Salman Khurshid said that "rules are rules," stressing that while nobody doubts the General's word, the records that it must consider cite 1950 as the general's date of birth and cannot be changed at this state.
General Singh took over as the chief on March 31, 2010. He has to step down when he completes three years in office, or when he turns 62, whichever comes first. If the government were to accept 1951 as his year of birth, he would be eligible for another year in office.
The government points out that many promotions for General Singh were served upon his seniority as established in documents that declare he was born in 1950. In turn, he says that there are enough records -like his school-leaving certificate - also on record with the army, that show he was born a year later.
An extra dimension of complexity comes in the form of a Public Interest Litigation or PIL, filed in the Supreme Court by ex-army officers in support of the Army Chief. The court is expected to hear this petition on Friday. The General was reportedly concerned that if the court dismissed this petition, it would mean that he could no longer approach the court for a legal remedy.
Describing General Vijay Kumar Singh's move as "unfortunate," Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju said today that the matter is sensitive and it " is not a healthy precedent" either for the Defence Ministry of the armed forces. (Read: 10 big facts about Army chief vs govt)
In his petition to court, the General has asked the government to explain why it will not accept his claim that he was born in 1951 and not 1950. The Supreme Court has not indicated if General Singh's petition has been accepted. But the government made its move yesterday, formally requesting the court not to pass any order on the army chief's petition without hearing the government. The General filed two appeals in the last few months with the Defence Ministry, asking that 1951 be agreed upon as his birth date. He opted for the Supreme Court after those appeals were rejected.
Privately, sources say, the government had been trying to negotiate a compromise with the General -it would state that he had not misrepresented his age, and in exchange, General Singh would retire, as scheduled, at the end of May.
The General has said that he is not interested in extending his tenure. His court case, he says aims at protecting his "honour and integrity." As the dispute became louder, the government attempted in recent weeks to back the General without changing its stand. Law Minister Salman Khurshid said that "rules are rules," stressing that while nobody doubts the General's word, the records that it must consider cite 1950 as the general's date of birth and cannot be changed at this state.
General Singh took over as the chief on March 31, 2010. He has to step down when he completes three years in office, or when he turns 62, whichever comes first. If the government were to accept 1951 as his year of birth, he would be eligible for another year in office.
The government points out that many promotions for General Singh were served upon his seniority as established in documents that declare he was born in 1950. In turn, he says that there are enough records -like his school-leaving certificate - also on record with the army, that show he was born a year later.
An extra dimension of complexity comes in the form of a Public Interest Litigation or PIL, filed in the Supreme Court by ex-army officers in support of the Army Chief. The court is expected to hear this petition on Friday. The General was reportedly concerned that if the court dismissed this petition, it would mean that he could no longer approach the court for a legal remedy.
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