New Delhi, May 29
A military tribunal today allowed Vice Admiral Karambir Singh to take charge as the new Navy Chief on May 31 as it deferred hearing on a petition challenging his appointment by nearly seven weeks.
Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command Vice Admiral Bimal Verma had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) here challenging the appointment of Singh as the next Navy Chief, overlooking his seniority.
“The AFT posted the matter for hearing on July 17 as government sought more time for placing records relating to Vice Admiral Singh’s appointment before the tribunal,” Verma’s lawyer Ankur Chhibber said.
He said the AFT allowed Singh to take charge as the new Navy Chief from incumbent Admiral Sunil Lanba on May 31 and that his continuation will depend on the final outcome of the case. Verma is the senior-most naval commander.
On May 22, the tribunal had directed the government to produce before it on May 29 all records and documents relating to selection of the new Navy Chief. However, the government could not produce the records and sought more time.
Earlier this month, the Defence Ministry issued an order rejecting Verma’s petition before it. Following the order, Verma filed a fresh petition in the AFT challenging Singh’s appointment as well as seeking quashing of the order by the ministry rejecting his plea against the selection.
In its order, the ministry said Verma’s statutory petition dated April 10 against the appointment of Singh to the top post was devoid of merit and had been rejected in exercise of powers under Section 23 of the Navy Act 1957.
On April 25, the tribunal directed the Defence Ministry to decide Verma’s petition within three weeks. Rejecting Verma’s plea, the ministry said a thorough selection process was conducted under which service profile of all contenders was examined. — PTI
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2QvGQC0
via Today’s News Headlines
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