By IANS,
New Delhi: The Indian Army is all set to court martial its former Military Secretary, Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash, for irregularities in transfering land at a military station in West Bengal, with the proceedings to begin at Leimakhong in Manipur in the middle of June, an officer said Thursday.
The court martial is likely to be presided over by the army’s Director General (Perspective Planning), Lt. Gen. Phillip Compose, and will comprise six major generals, an officer at the army headquarters here said.
The court martial follows Prakash being indicted by an army court of inquiry early last year for his role in the illegal transfer in 2008 of 70 acres of land adjacent to the Sukna military station to a private realtor for constructing an educational institution.
Depending on how severe the court martial gauges the irregularity to be, Prakash, who retired from service in the middle of last year, could be severely reprimanded, stripped of his rank and medals and could also lose either all of or a part of his pension.
Prakash was the Military Secretary when Gen. Deepak Kapoor was the army chief.
Prior to the convening of the court martial, orders for which are to be signed by the Eastern Army Commander, Lt.Gen. Bikram Singh soon, Prakash would be attached to the Kolkata-based command headquarters.
Along with Prakash, then 33 Corps commander Lt. Gen. P.K. Rath, his chief of staff Lt.Gen Ramesh Halgali and the then administrative head of the Sikna military station, Major General P.K. Sen, were also indicted by the army court of inquiry.
While Prakash and Rath were awarded disciplinary action leading to a court martial ordered by Gen. Kapoor, the other two officers were let off with administrative action leading to a censure. The army has already punished Rath after a court martial found him guilty earlier this year and awarded him a severe reprimand, two-year loss of seniority and 15 years’ loss of service for the purpose of pension.