Supreme Court seeks harsher sentence for Army officials selling weapons

New Delhi: The Supreme Court condemned the sale of licensed arms by Army officials as improper conduct on Tuesday and asked the authorities to re-examine the possibility of taking stronger departmental action against them, brushing off protests that they had been prosecuted once under the law and could not be punished again.

At the last hearing, the court had criticised the military for being too lenient with such officers by letting them off with reprimands, censures and fines. The court had demanded fresh court martial proceedings against them.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi opposed the suggestion on Tuesday, arguing that sales per se were not banned. These were non-service, licensed arms, which can be sold to other persons holding arms licences, he contended.

“What happens if the arms become obsolete? It is sold.” He also pointed out that the only law that had been violated was a clause that mandates the officers to seek the nod of the district administration before selling such licensed arms which can be procured from the Jabalpur Ordnance Factory.