07-06-2004, 04:06 AM
<b>UPA's fast track for favourite </b>
Sidharth Mishra/ New Delhi
Barely two months in office, the United Progressive Alliance (<b>UPA) Government has now begun the process of promoting senior armed forces officials who have serious charges of corruption against them.</b> <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
A case in point is the alacrity with which Major General TA D'Cunha was promoted to the <b>rank of Lieutenant General on June 30, hours or rather minutes before he was to superannuate</b>. The case for Gen D'Cunha had earlier been rejected by then Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande as <b>he faced serious charges of corruption</b>.
The promotion of a General facing corruption charges to the next rank has serious implications. Gen D'Cunha, at present posted at Ordnance School, Jabalpur, in his capacity as the Director-General, Ordnance Services, would be responsible for the purchase of all kinds of stores for the armed forces.
"While processing the promotion of Gen D'Cunha, <b>the mandatory clearance of the Central Vigilance Commission was not taken, something unprecedented in the history of the armed forces,</b>" well-placed sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The course of events preceding the General's promotion has added to suspicion that some <b>extra-constitutional authorities exercising powers</b> over the functioning of the Government backed the case. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
While rejecting Gen D'Cunha's case, then Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande had returned the file to the Army Headquarters with the comments: "Officer found unsuitable for promotion, hold a fresh board." This note, which is well-documented in the officer's file, was overlooked. "Such oversight of an important noting cannot be natural, it must be under influence," sources in the MoD said.
Sidharth Mishra/ New Delhi
Barely two months in office, the United Progressive Alliance (<b>UPA) Government has now begun the process of promoting senior armed forces officials who have serious charges of corruption against them.</b> <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
A case in point is the alacrity with which Major General TA D'Cunha was promoted to the <b>rank of Lieutenant General on June 30, hours or rather minutes before he was to superannuate</b>. The case for Gen D'Cunha had earlier been rejected by then Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande as <b>he faced serious charges of corruption</b>.
The promotion of a General facing corruption charges to the next rank has serious implications. Gen D'Cunha, at present posted at Ordnance School, Jabalpur, in his capacity as the Director-General, Ordnance Services, would be responsible for the purchase of all kinds of stores for the armed forces.
"While processing the promotion of Gen D'Cunha, <b>the mandatory clearance of the Central Vigilance Commission was not taken, something unprecedented in the history of the armed forces,</b>" well-placed sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The course of events preceding the General's promotion has added to suspicion that some <b>extra-constitutional authorities exercising powers</b> over the functioning of the Government backed the case. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
While rejecting Gen D'Cunha's case, then Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande had returned the file to the Army Headquarters with the comments: "Officer found unsuitable for promotion, hold a fresh board." This note, which is well-documented in the officer's file, was overlooked. "Such oversight of an important noting cannot be natural, it must be under influence," sources in the MoD said.