Army’s top legal officer faces impropriety charge
Army HQ issued showcause notice to Major-General Nilendra Kumar.
By TIMES INTERNET NETWORK |
NEW DELHI: The Army���s seniormost legal officer, judge advocate general (JAG) Major-General Nilendra Kumar, is firmly in the dock now. The Army HQ has issued him a showcause notice on why action should not be taken against him after a court of inquiry held him prima facie guilty of professional impropriety.
The alleged impropriety charges range from misrepresenting facts to obtain a bar association membership to running a website without permission and using his official residence for commercial activities like selling books authored by him.
Sources said the CoI, chaired by Lucknow-based Central Command chief of staff Lt-Gen Gautam Dutta, has held Maj-Gen Kumar ������ guilty��� ��� on most of the 15 charges against him. Maj-Gen Kumar, who was appointed JAG in September 2001, however , has strongly denied the charges, holding that he was being victimized due to vested interests. In fact, he has petitioned the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC to contest the proceedings underway against him in the Army.
The CoI came after a oneman inquiry conducted by Lt-Gen K S Venugopal into the charges recommended legal proceedings to be initiated against Maj-Gen Kumar, who is currently under an internal Army ������ DV (discipline and vigilance) ban for the purpose of postings and promotions������ .
The showcause notice shows that the Army is initiating administrative action against Maj-Gen Kumar, rather than disciplinary proceedings in the shape of a court-martial .
The Army���s JAG branch, incidentally, has witnessed messy allegations and counter-allegations in recent years, with senior officers frequently sniping at each other.
This is not the first time Maj-Gen Kumar has found himself in the thick of a controversy. Earlier, doubts were cast on the law degree awarded to him in 1982 by Lucknow University.
But in an official statement later, the Army itself dismissed as ������ factually incorrect��� ��� reports that Maj-Gen Kumar had fraudulently obtained the law degree.
The alleged impropriety charges range from misrepresenting facts to obtain a bar association membership to running a website without permission and using his official residence for commercial activities like selling books authored by him.
Sources said the CoI, chaired by Lucknow-based Central Command chief of staff Lt-Gen Gautam Dutta, has held Maj-Gen Kumar ������ guilty��� ��� on most of the 15 charges against him. Maj-Gen Kumar, who was appointed JAG in September 2001, however , has strongly denied the charges, holding that he was being victimized due to vested interests. In fact, he has petitioned the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC to contest the proceedings underway against him in the Army.
The CoI came after a oneman inquiry conducted by Lt-Gen K S Venugopal into the charges recommended legal proceedings to be initiated against Maj-Gen Kumar, who is currently under an internal Army ������ DV (discipline and vigilance) ban for the purpose of postings and promotions������ .
The showcause notice shows that the Army is initiating administrative action against Maj-Gen Kumar, rather than disciplinary proceedings in the shape of a court-martial .
The Army���s JAG branch, incidentally, has witnessed messy allegations and counter-allegations in recent years, with senior officers frequently sniping at each other.
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This is not the first time Maj-Gen Kumar has found himself in the thick of a controversy. Earlier, doubts were cast on the law degree awarded to him in 1982 by Lucknow University.
But in an official statement later, the Army itself dismissed as ������ factually incorrect��� ��� reports that Maj-Gen Kumar had fraudulently obtained the law degree.
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