Age row: Spurred by SC, General VK Singh may resign

NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court refusing to entertain his plea on determining his date of birth, General VK Singh’s continuation as Army chief looked untenable. Although the General, who left for Rajasthan on Friday evening on an official trip, is yet to respond to the judgement, officials in the defence ministry said his next course of action would be worth watching.

There was little wiggle room for the General, who has been maintaining that he was fighting for his honour. Although the court and the government have said that they have no doubts about his integrity, his plank has considerably been dented by the bench’s order. He is scheduled to retire in May this year.

But sources said the chief could put in his papers as his relationship with the government has soured considerably. Reacting to the judgement, defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said: “We are happy that the issue has been finally resolved and the controversy has been put to rest.” The ministry has already initiated the process to decide on the next chief of Army staff.