Gen V.K. Singh never has asked for a change in his DOB. This issue was fabricated and pursued from the year 2006 by two Army Chiefs and their cronies, i.e., three Military Secretaries, when they realised that a three-year tenure as COAS for Gen. V.K. Singh would derail the chances of one particular individual.
In fabricating this falsehood, these gentlemen used an incorrect entry in a document called Army List. This document has no legal sanctity whatsoever with regard to the details of an officer. There are scores of serving officers whose names or their IC numbers or their DOB is wrongly mentioned. This author is aware of a serving Brigadier, wherein the Army List carries his father’s name in place of his. He has never felt the need to correct this glaring mistake because the document has no legal significance.
Firstly, there was no need for Gen. V.K. Singh to apply for a ‘change’ in his DoB.
As the legal custodian of all personnel particulars (including DOB), the Adjutant General’s Branch has never had any issue over his DoB (May 10, 1951). Does the Army HQ or the MoD now have the gumption to declare that in matters of personnel detail of an officer, the Army List will prevail over all other documents. In that eventuality, the Military Tribunal and the Supreme Court will be inundated with cases.
Then why has this fraud been perpetrated on Gen. V.K. Singh? Why is an erroneous entry in the UPSC application form being flogged as an argument to intimidate him into accepting 10 May 1950 as his DoB, when it is not? An application form is only an application form. The entries therein have to be verified from other sources and documents, which was done in Gen. Singh’s case upon his commissioning.
Then there is the argument that Gen. Singh ‘accepted’ 1950 as his year of birth in 2006 and 2008, and therefore it could not be changed now.
An individual’s ‘acceptance’ of a particular DoB, not supported by relevant documents, cannot even get one a driving licence or a passport, let alone make him an Army Chief. Such acceptance was made under duress.
— Maj. Gen. R.S.N. Singh was a military intelligence officer