By IANS
New Delhi : A tainted Indian Army general accused of illegally amassing wealth totalling Rs.478 million has been superseded. His junior has been promoted to three star rank and appointed director general of ordinance service at the army headquarters.
Incumbent Lt. Gen. D.D.S. Sandhu retired Monday and Lt. Gen. B.S. Sisodia assumed the position on promotion, it was officially announced Monday.
Maj. Gen. Anant Kapoor had been approved for promotion to lieutenant general and had been slotted for the job being the senior-most officer after Sandhu. However, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry was ordered after the scandal over his wealth broke in October.
Since Kapoor was not suspended from service, the army authorities moved the file for him to succeed Sandhu. Defence Minister A.K. Antony then put his foot down, saying the officer would first have to be cleared of all charges.
The CBI had Oct 10 searched various properties and registered a case of possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income against Kapoor, who continues to serve as Major General (Ordinance) at the Jaipur-based South Western Army Command.
The CBI had conducted raids at 12 places in Delhi, Jaipur, Shimla, Gurgaon and Mumbai and discovered that Kapoor and his family members have six immovable properties worth Rs.53 million in Delhi, Shimla and Gurgaon.
The CBI also recovered Rs.600,000 in cash and 12 credit cards during the search operations.
Kapoor and his family members, according to the CBI, have bank balances and fixed deposits of Rs.5.7 million and various other investments of Rs.121 million.
Antony had justified the raids, saying they were conducted “with the full knowledge of the ministry of defence. We won’t tolerate corruption”.
“Whatever needs to be done (to stamp out corruption) will be done. We want to take stringent action against those who are corrupt,” Antony had said.
According to figures furnished in parliament recently, 25 military officers, including two of three-star rank and six of two-star rank, have been cashiered or reprimanded for offences ranging from corruption to conduct unbecoming of an officer in the last five years.
Of the guilty, 17 are from the army, seven from the navy and one from the air force.