Army Chief meets Antony

New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Indian Army Chief Gen Deepak
Kapoor met Defence Minister A K Antony here Friday evening
against the backdrop of the reports that the latter wants the
same yardstick to be applied against all the four senior army
officers indicted in a land scam in Darjeeling.
The case, in which three Lt Generals and a Major General
have been found culpable by an army Court of Inquiry, is
before Gen Kapoor for a final decision on the action to be
taken.
One of the indicted officers Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash is
the Military Secretary to the Army Chief and considered close
to him.
Defence Ministry sources described Kapoor's meeting with
Antony as a "routine" one. They said Kapoor wanted to brief
Antony on his recent visit to Nepal.
However, the meeting assumes significance as Antony had
reportedly told the Army Chief recently to apply the same
yardstick with regard to all the four officers indicted in the
Sukna land scam which involves grant of No-Objection
Certificate for sale of a plot of land adjacent to an army
station in the eastern state of West Bengal.
Among the four officers, Kapoor has ordered disciplinary
action against Lt Gen P K Rath, that could lead to a court
martial. However, against Prakash, Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali and
Major Gen P C Sen, Kapoor has ordered administrative action
under which the punishment ranges from censure to dismissal.
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