By IANS
New Delhi : An Indian Army major general has been charged with misconduct after a woman officer complained of sexual harassment. He will now be tried by a military court that will rule on the punishment he should receive, defence sources here said Monday.
“A court of inquiry has recommended that the officer (Maj. Gen. A.K. Lal) be charged with misconduct. He will now face a court martial that will decide on the quantum of sentence,” the sources said.
Lt Gen A.S. Sekhon, general officer commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, conducted the court of inquiry.
Captain Neha Rawat of the Corps of Signals had filed a complaint alleging that Lal, the GOC of the Leh-based 3 Infantry Division, had misbehaved with her during a meditation session.
The then Indian Army chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, who was on a visit to Srinagar on the day the complaint was filed in September, had immediately issued orders to initiate action against Lal on the basis of Rawat’s complaint.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony also had sought a report on Rawat’s charge.
Lal was relieved of his command and attached to the 15 Corps headquarters. He has now been re-attached to the 14 Corps headquarters at Leh pending the initiation of court martial proceedings.
Antony told parliament in September that an “adequate grievance redressal mechanism has been put in place to address complaints of sexual harassment and other complaints of lady officers.”
“Women officers are free to approach their commanding officers/supervisors at any time to discuss their personal/official problems and seek immediate assistance,” the minister added in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.