Don't pass judgment on Army officials so soon: Kapoor

Meerut: The Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Wednesday went on the defensive on the Sukhna land scam asking the media not to prejudge senior Army officers.

Interacting with the media in Meerut, General Kapoor said, "It's premature to jump into any conclusions just yet, so don't pass any judgement on senior Army officers."

General Kapoor's statement came a day after the Eastern command urged the media to maintain restraint.

"The Court of Inquiry (CoI) is still going and the report is awaited. My action will be determined by the CoI report," said General Kapoor.

" We need to be just and fair for the image of the army," Kapoor said.

On Tuesday, Army's Eastern Command had appealed to the media to exercise restraint in reporting on the Sukna land issue, involving some officers.

In a statement, the Eastern Army Command said, "Certain media reports have appeared regarding ongoing Court of Inquiry in Sukhna land issue of Eastern Command. Since the Court of Inquiry is still in progress and not finalized, therefore speculative comments/interferences at this stage about the guilt of an individual is not appropriate."

The statement further went on to say, "It should also be understood that it amounts to character assassination of senior army officers. Premature trials and verdicts by the responsible media should be avoided."

The statement by the Eastern Army Command came days after a court of inquiry reportedly revealed that it has found clinching proof against four serving generals in connection with the Sukna land scam.

Earlier, a section of the media reported that the CoI has indicted Military Secretary Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash and Deputy Army Chief- designate Lieutenant General P K Rath for their role in issuing a no objection certificate to a private establishment that falsely claimed to be establishing an affiliate of the famous Ajmer-based Mayo College on land adjacent to the Sukhna Military station in Darjeeling.

Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash is one of the top eight principal staff officers at the Army headquarters acting as advisors to Army chief General Deepak Kapoor. As Military Secretary, it is responsible for the promotion and postings of officers.

Lt Gen P K Rath was commander of the crucial 33 Corps based in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, under which the Sukna Military station comes, when the alleged land scam took place.

The Defence Ministry has cancelled the appointment of Lt Gen Rath as the new Deputy Army Chief (Information Systems and Training).

Lieutenant General Rath's, former deputy, Lieutenant General Ramesh Halgali is currently commanding the 11 Corps at Jalandhar. The Commission of Inquiry has also apparently indicted some other officers in the 'chain in command'.

Sources at the Army headquarters have revealed that evidence is still being collected to try some senior officers for gross improprieties and irregularities through a court-martial.

Defence Minister A K Antony has warned the Army that such cases "not only damage the Indian Army's image" but also "adversely affect the ability of senior officers to measure up to the expectations of the men they lead."