07-12-2009, 04:13 AM
<b>Army court-martials its first woman officer</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->For the first time in the Indian Armyâs history, a military court on Saturday ordered the court martial of a woman officer for disobeying orders, levelling false allegations against her superiors and communicating service matters to the media.
<b>Captain Poonam Kaur had accused three officers, including her commanding officer and second-in-command, of sexually harassing her last year. She was then serving with an ASC (Army Service Corps Battalion) at Kalka near Chandigarh</b>.
The judge advocate, who helped conduct the General Court Martial in Patiala, was also a lady officer. Ironically, <b>three years ago she had accused a senior officer of molesting her in Nagrota near Jammu</b>.
But for Captain Kaur (in her mid 20s) to be dismissed, the military courtâs verdict has to be confirmed by the general officer commanding-in-chief, Western Command as the matter comes under his purview. Even after the sentence is confirmed, she could seek relief from a high court or the newly constituted Armed Forces Tribunal.
<b>A court of inquiry conducted before the court martial had slapped 21 charges on Captain Kaur â whose father is a retired army havaldar âof which 11 were dropped, as there was no evidence to substantiate them</b>.
<b>The charges levelled against her included wrongfully getting married accommodation allotted and having an improper relationship with her driver.</b>
In the past, women officers in the army have been ordered to face courts-martial for charges ranging from corruption to being absent without leave to professional impropriety. But none has been sacked.
<b>Major Dimple Singla, from the armyâs legal branch, had faced a court martial for allegedly demanding bribes during trials by the military court.</b> The verdict is not out yet.
<b>The Indian Air Force had for the first time dismissed a woman officer â Flying Officer Anjali Guptaâfor indiscipline three years ago.</b>
There are around 1,100 women (excluding lady doctors) among 35,377 officers in the army, some 750 out of 10,563 officers in the air force and 260-odd among 7,336 naval officers.
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What a shame!!!
They are just trying to prove they are not less than men.
<b>Captain Poonam Kaur had accused three officers, including her commanding officer and second-in-command, of sexually harassing her last year. She was then serving with an ASC (Army Service Corps Battalion) at Kalka near Chandigarh</b>.
The judge advocate, who helped conduct the General Court Martial in Patiala, was also a lady officer. Ironically, <b>three years ago she had accused a senior officer of molesting her in Nagrota near Jammu</b>.
But for Captain Kaur (in her mid 20s) to be dismissed, the military courtâs verdict has to be confirmed by the general officer commanding-in-chief, Western Command as the matter comes under his purview. Even after the sentence is confirmed, she could seek relief from a high court or the newly constituted Armed Forces Tribunal.
<b>A court of inquiry conducted before the court martial had slapped 21 charges on Captain Kaur â whose father is a retired army havaldar âof which 11 were dropped, as there was no evidence to substantiate them</b>.
<b>The charges levelled against her included wrongfully getting married accommodation allotted and having an improper relationship with her driver.</b>
In the past, women officers in the army have been ordered to face courts-martial for charges ranging from corruption to being absent without leave to professional impropriety. But none has been sacked.
<b>Major Dimple Singla, from the armyâs legal branch, had faced a court martial for allegedly demanding bribes during trials by the military court.</b> The verdict is not out yet.
<b>The Indian Air Force had for the first time dismissed a woman officer â Flying Officer Anjali Guptaâfor indiscipline three years ago.</b>
There are around 1,100 women (excluding lady doctors) among 35,377 officers in the army, some 750 out of 10,563 officers in the air force and 260-odd among 7,336 naval officers.
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What a shame!!!
They are just trying to prove they are not less than men.