We Need Younger Commanders, Like China, Says Indian Army in Court

New Delhi:

The Indian Army has told the Supreme Court that it needs younger commanders, just like Pakistan and China, and that a policy for promotions to the rank of Colonel, introduced in 2009, should be left unchanged.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the average age of colonels in neighbouring Pakistan and Chinese armies is 37 years, in Israel it's 32 years, while in India it was 41 years and this accounted partly for the "sluggish" response in the Kargil War against Pakistan in 1999.

After the war, the Army changed its promotion policy to allow for younger colonels and commanders, as advised by a committee that investigated the Army's handling of the Karil War. But the new rules were seen as favouring the infantry and artillery wings and earlier this month, the promotion policy was declared invalid by the Armed Forces Tribunal, which functions as an army court for administrative and other purposes.

That decision has been challenged by the government in the Supreme Court, which has suspended the tribunal's verdict till it delivers its judgment on April 15.

Nearly 1,500 new posts for Colonels were created after the Kargil War, but most were filled with candidates from the infantry and artillery. That led to other officers filing a petition with the Armed Forces Tribunal. The court has to consider how to divide the vacancies fairly between the different arms or wings of the Army. "You can't afford to have disgruntled, dissatisfied and frustrated officers in other wings of Army," the Supreme Court argued on Wednesday.

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The Army has argued that being an employer, it has the right to change promotion policies and that the Armed Forces Tribunal should not interfere in the Army's "policy decisions."