Amid a day of hectic parleys between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, defence minister A.K. Antony and other top ministers of the UPA government in the wake of the legal challenge thrown by Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh on his date of birth controversy, the government — in a cautious move to avoid any “ex parte” (one-sided) interim order from the Supreme Court — filed a “caveat” on Tuesday, which gives it a right to be heard simultaneously.
The one-paragraph caveat moved by the Centre in the Supreme Court stated that no “ex parte” order be passed on the petition filed by Gen. V.K. Singh before knowing the stand and views of the government.
The government is preparing for a legal battle that will include telling the Supreme Court that Gen. Singh had agreed in 2006 to accept May 10, 1950 as his DoB in official records.
The government could be considering several options that include a swift announcement soon on Gen. Singh’s successor, or asking the Army Chief to either resign or go on leave. An outright dismissal is another option.
Speculation is also rife that some UPA ministers want the government to take a tough stand that could include sacking the Army Chief, while there are others who are in favour of a more restrained approach, including facing the legal challenge on its merits.
Government sources, however, said the legal challenge by a serving service chief did not bode well for civil-military relations and had set an unhealthy precedent.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and law minister Salman Khurshid and the attorney-general are also understood to have been part of the consultations. Defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, who was on an official visit to Malaysia, was also asked to rush back to New Delhi in the wake of the crisis that the government is grappling with.