Asked about the Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh date of birth controversy on Tuesday, information and broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said that “every human being has a right to seek justice if he feels he has been denied justice.”
“So in that sense it is the right of every Indian but I am afraid it is very difficult to make this into an issue of controversy. Government has to react, the law minister, the defence ministry. I think the defence minister spoke only a few days ago that he had very high confidence in the Army Chief and if the Army Chief has gone to court, I am not a person to comment,” she said. “The armed forces, we have always dealt with high respect and regard in this country. And I continue to have high regard for the armed forces,” she added.
Gen. Singh had filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday and wants the government to accept May 10, 1951, as his date of birth in official records instead of the current May 10, 1950. As per the current records, Gen. Singh will have to retire on May 31 this year.
Regarding the Caveat filed by the government in the apex court, under Supreme Court rules, once the caveat is filed by a contesting party, the registry is bound to inform it in advance about the date of hearing so that its counsel could come prepared to argue straightaway and ensure that the court does not pass any “ex-parte” interim order on the petition under consideration.
The legal challenge of the Army Chief marks a serious crisis in ties between the civilian leadership and the military, and is the most serious crisis in this regard after the sacking of Adm. Vishnu Bhagwat by the BJP-led government in 1998.