By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Army Friday completed the court martial of former military secretary, Lt. Gen. (retd) Avadesh Prakash in connection with an alleged scam involving transfer of 71 acres of land adjacent to Sukna military station in West Bengal.
The judgment in the court martial and the quantum of punishment is expected to be delivered Saturday by the court martial, which convened in Guwahati, sources in the army headquarters said here.
The army had in January this year punished another senior officer and former 33 Corps Commander Lt. Gen. P.K. Rath in the same case and had awarded punishment involving loss of seniority and some part of his pension.
Both Avadesh Prakash and Rath had been earlier indicted by a court of inquiry constituted by the army in 2010.
The scam dates back to 2008 when the alleged move to transfer the land in Siliguri district of West Bengal to a private educational trust came out in the open, leading to the army initiating the disciplinary proceedings against senior army officials, including Avadesh Prakash and Rath.
Though the then army chief General Deepak Kapoor wanted to let off Avadesh Prakash lightly with just an administrative action, Defence Minister A.K. Antony had intervened and ordered his court-martial.