'DOB given in Matric certificate sacrosanct'
Asserting that he wanted to protect his integrity and honour, Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Defence Ministry's order determining his date of birth (DOB) as May 10, 1950, instead of treating it as May 10, 1951.
In his petition filed through his advocate Puneet Bali, the Army Chief, who is due to retire on May 31 this year, maintained that his DOB was already concluded as May 10, 1951 once the police verified it at the time of his joining the service.
Citing a catena of Supreme Court decisions, Gen. Singh said the DOB — May 10, 1951— mentioned in the Matriculation Certificate was sacrosanct and this had to be treated as conclusive proof. On the controversy as to how the dispute arose, he said when he was 14, he was asked to fill up a form about DOB particulars, in which he wrongly gave the DOB as May 10, 1950.
However, this was later corrected as May 10, 1951 and this DOB was mentioned in the Matriculation Certificate.
The controversy arose due to different sets of records maintained in the Adjutant General and Military Secretary branches of the Army headquarters. While the adjutant general's branch, which deals with pay, perks and pensions, maintains Gen. Singh's DOB as May 10, 1951, the military secretary branch, which deals with appointments and promotions, has his DOB as May 10, 1950 in its records.
Keywords: Army Chief, V.K. Singh, age controversy
It is unfortunate to see even some of the retired senior defence officers talking about 'self before service' when they were not fully aware of the facts of the case and criticizing the Chief. I hope all those generals and admirals who recklessly comment just to see their names in the media will atleast keep quiet now.
The comments freely offered by the esteemed readers reflect the true Indian panorama with utter divergent views. These are the very people who elected the Parliament/Assembly members and criticize them for their non-performance fully knowing their priorities & abilities. It would be appropriate for all of us to politely leave the matter to SC which will take the best decision in national interest as per law.
it is grave concern to those who love this nation and hold our army in high position, in 65 years first time our general depak kapoor found in scam of adarsh cooperative society and same general was behind with jj singh to block general vk singh to give favour to vikram singh,right from start general has clarified and given matriculation certificate with police verified certificate and nda authority also issued identycard of dob 31may 1951, why and where this conversy came to media, who leaked it why our stupid ministery,could not sort out amicably,,general is so honest he has not single case against him,always stood against whole corruptive middlemen,whole bureacrate,his senior failed him,govt wanted to benefit Vikram Jeet Singh because of mm singh,jj singh ex general favours,so they tried to frighten V K Singh by showing him hypocractic self made law, which stand no where in supreme court,no power on earth can stop general getting his date of birth conversy sort out by supreme court,
At the time of entry into service in government servic, at least
civil, the administrative branch verify the DOB from the SSL
Certificate and enter it in its records. If the entry was made wrongly
in the records it is the administrative branch which is responsible.
Since the person concerned also verify the details given in the
Service Book maintained by the administrative branch he also should
have noticed during his service as he has to sign the service book.
Why this controversy has come at the fag end of his service? Since
administrative branch is responsible for keeping all personal records
it is their entry is to be taken as correct and if they made any
mistake they are answerable.
General Singh is not made of stuff which makes honest citizens proud. He typifies bureaucrat brought up in Delhi power corridors willing to do street smart fights in gullies and not real battles for the country. Whoever is advised him to go to court is another Delhi guy out for cheap publicity . They like UPA govt don't know what it has cost for the country.
a fine soldier and army chief will be remembered in the wrong context by the history. this should never have happened. who so ever wins, nation will lose. iam sad.
Defence Minister Anthony is intelligent and honest minister. I sincerely hope that, he will sack defence secretary for making a wrong decision and for making India a laughing stock in front of the entire world.....
The government is again wrongly estimating the mood of the nation. The General has much more credibility as against a weak and scam tainted government. While the supremacy of the civilian leadership should stand and still stands, this seems to be a deliberate attempt to cause controversy by some busy hands in the defence ministry. Since it has been reported that all his promotions considered the 1951 DOB, I see nothing wrong in him continuing the tenure till 2013. The government seems to have totally disregarded the morale of the forces and the long term stability of our defence forces in not agreeing to a longer tenure.
I think that the general is at fault.All these he must have know that 2 dates were existant in army records.Who knows it might be done deliberately. One date to get promotions and other to extend the tenure as General. How come the general realised tht he was younger only after he became the general and accepted the promotions which he might have got by stepping over some of his seniors. Shame on him.'This IS India'
Way back in 1966 when General Singh joined the NDA the age limits were 15- 17½ . The age limits were first increased around 1972 when the NDA started giving graduation certificates and again later when the minimum became Std.XII. Till about 1971 the minimum was only Xth. Hence the accusation that Gen Singh's teacher purposely filled UPSC wrongly is incorrect ie he was eligible for NDA with both dates of birth ie 1950 and 1951.
This is another naked example of misuse of corrupt and shameless media by corrupt UPA Govt. to malign reputation of the people who don’t agree with its unconstitutional and anti national conspiracies,and this time ,it is the turn of Gen. Singh. Shame on the Corrupt Political Leadership.
i fully endorse the decision taken by ministry of defence to reject V K Singh's statutory complaint.This matter has to be raised much before,after getting three promotions on the basis of his DOB as May 10,1950,it makes no sense to raise this issue this time,as Mr. Singh said he made a mistake when he was 14 ,when which he wrongly gave the DOB as May 10, 1950.So,this mistake was not on the part of MoD.
raghus comment is vital. this should also be read with a high court judgement gave in a railway employees case by high court at karnataka in in 1077 or so.
this point was raised in seventies itself in railways. it went to High court of judicature at Bangalore, karnataka and it was decided then that once an officer signs his service record or the service agreement, it is a contract binding on both the parties and the date of birth mentioned in the service record cannot be changed as it is a contract/agreement binding on both the parties and the DoPT issued orders about that long ago. it is a settled issue in government that date of birth once entered in service record cannot be altered at any circumstances and the railways are scrupulously following it. i think it applies to all and it is odd that the highest ranking officer is not setting up a good precedent. perhaps a better chance awaits him after his retirement who knows!!!so why fight and say it is honour etc.etc.
Government is absolutely correct. Gen VK singh is shameful - he received 3 promotion on the basis of DOB being 1951. How come now he is contesting. he is already in a corrupt row of seizing land .
General Singhs' dual age dilemma not shocking for the army but for all common men. It WAS the fault on the part of army, whose section maintains records, going to court is prerogative right of General but out of the court this question still unsolved that how could it possible. Sure, it must be investigated whether General Singh was applicable to sit in the one of the most prestigious entrance exams. This situation clearly hints the situation how does governments' records are kept and maintained without going through the stages of due diligence. I hope it will be a live example for future records keeping.
It is really stunning that our Army Chief was sleeping for more than 3 decades , waking up for eating only. After enjoying all benefits of promotions by concealing the original DOB, now he is grazing back to reap the extra benefits of being in service for one more year. Feel pity for him.
It appears from the comments that most of the avid readers of "The Hindu" are ignorant of the service conditions of the commissioned officers of the Army and also this DoB issue in particular.Like
- age of entry into NDA was not 15 years but 14.5 uears in 1966.
- in the records of the Adjutant General who is the official record keeper of officers of the Army Gen V K Singh's DoB has always been May 1951, from (the date of his commissioning)
- all the APARs or CRs of Gen VKS at all ranks and service has carried the date May 1951 as his DoB.
- all the MDS(Master Data Sheets) submitted by the Military Secretary branch to MoD for his promotion to various ranks from Brig upwards carry the DoB as 1951
- above in addition the umpteen civilian proofs like Hospital records, Birth cert, Matric cert,etc.
So it is not Gen V K Singh but the govt that has fudged records and misled the Parliament to favour a particular person. Alas there is hope in the strongest pillar of this Democracy.
This army chief is setting wrong and dangerous precedence in the country. Army chief is not even thinking what message it gives to the standing army which he leads and the outside world.
''Normally the army chief would not be in the battle ground. His guns never fired on any one.They take the salutes during the parades and watch Air displays with family. May be this is the battle the chief is going to face and both he and the defense department would be firing guns at each other.The President who is the chief of allied forces could talk to the army chief and settle the matter out of the battle ground..Who ever loses in the court both lose in the end.
The way Govt. is dealing the issue is ridiculous.It is just a smaller issue based on discrepancy in two official records.This issue must have been solved before his becoming the army chief.Keeping in mind the sentiments related to the office their must be some special provisions related to some protection as given to prime minster and chief justice etc.
it is the other way round. "Govt has driven Army Chief to the court". as is its wont, the govt treats the servicepersons and veterans of the nation with impunity. it has not spared even the Chief. You just have to see the number court/AFT cases that UoI is fighting the men in uniform, mostly on frivolous and technical grounds. You must have read this "woe betide the wounded soldier.."It should aptly read "woe betide the Indian soldier". Shame on this government and the people that keeps it in power.
The government should have sorted out more amicably than allowing for a such a stand off to arise with an Army Chief. Just too sad.
It is really unfortunate on the part of the General to drag the government on this trivial issue. The General should remember that this very same date of his birth was the criteria based on which all his career advancements were done and why this General did not bother to raise this issue when he was elevated to the General post based on this date of birth. Gen. Singh should listen to his conscience and put an end to his embarrassing situation , uphold the integrity and sovereignty of the nation , step down gracefully and pave way for further dignity of the governmental proceedings!!
Dragging this issue to court is not good to country as well military also. He is head of the one powerful wing and going to court against the government determination on DOB is ridiculous and illogical. Army chief approaching court is to prove his DOB what he is endorsing and for that what he having justification. Government would have resolve this issue amicably this situation would have been arises. Defencies issues were very critical and crucial in respect to maintaining integrity and honesty hope this has not been breached and suspected. Now matter in court we early waiting how this case to be disposes or else throws ball in to concern ministry without intervening in this matter.
It is indeed, very unfortunate that things have come to such a pass that our Army Chief has knocked the doors of the Supreme Court of India to get his DOB corrected & connected the same to his honour & integrity. The case can be termed as one of the 'rarest of rare cases' & one hopes that the Supreme Court will look into the matter meticulously & settle the issue.
While the army is making a hue & cry on the issue, giving it a civilian vs military colour, it should not forget that defence minister, A.K. Antony is a person who is equally clean & leads a simple lifestyle, a rare quality found in today's politicians. Moreover, if it is true that Genl. V.K. Singh was promoted thrice on the basis of his DOB being May 10, 1950, why didn't he then clarify that his correct DOB was May 10, 1951 & refuse the promotions ? There seems to be some missing links in the matter & one hopes that the same will be joined properly by our Supreme Court & the truth placed before the public.
whatever basis under which has earlier joined and accepted,should now be same basis of his service and his retirement age.How doubt has arisen now.He should have submitted the original or an attested true copy at the time of joining the army.whehter he is now trying to change,which is not acceptable.supreme court also has to decide on the basis of earlier submission.there is no doubt.Perhaps,people on the line wait for his earlier retirment.Media should alwayys put the matter black and white,so that nothing goes wrong.
It appears General Singh joined the 36th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in July 1966. Was he eligible to join the NDA at the age of 15 years if his date of birth is May 10, 1951? If not, having entered prematurely and benefited from the extra year of service that would have enabled him to get several promotions, is it reasonable for him now to have the cake, having eaten it?
If a common man makes such a mistake, we can tolerate, and even understand. But he will still face so much complications to get it corrected. Then, what about the Army Chief? When did the Army Chief come to know of his dual records? If he sticks to his version, why did he not raise any issue till now, or at least when his last three promotions were announced? Anyhow, let the courts decide. But it is shameful on the part of such an officer.
This is new low in UPA government. Its actually the biggest to me. I cannot imagine the civil service not sorting these matters out and enough vetting done before Army Chief is inducted. Its neither ordinary position nor an ordinary institution to be put in this situation. To sit in that position and lead that institution, the ego built on honor and accountability is quintessential. I do not know where we are really heading with these kind of situations being raked up.
The least I would expect is the people who were supposed to due diligence before the position was offered need to be made accountable.
It had to happen, since the govt has been casually dealing with Army Chief's age controversy. Finally Army Chief VK Singh filed a case against his own govt to protect his honour and integrity .I think what message is sending our government to us or abroad, we have no time to resolve this problem ? Just imagine the government is handling our Army Chief's age controversy in this third class manner how about us just a coman man.
Our Chief is getting encouraged by his counterpart in our neighbourhood!
No more words to ezxpress our anguish!
These kind of oversights in records create serious problems to people's life. Special care should be taken while handling the paper works.
If the documents maintained by two wings of the military are contradictory,that too one of them Intelligence/security wing,from defence,what do we deduce on their intelligence on national security?? The date of birth cannot change.When a confusion like this happens the date of birth can be confirmed by (in proper order) mother, father,relatives, friends, village documents,birth certificate,schools final certificate. If the govt. has better sense,they must know it costs a fortune to train a general & hence is advantageous to retain him for one more year.If the Govt wants to edge him out to promote those convienient to them,it is a shame.
Thanks to the Defence Ministry and the Government of India for having made a laughing stock out of our country. Talk about the next superpower which cannot keep date of birth records in proper order!
Without commenting all the merits of the case, all this is symptomatic of a nation adrift. Leadership of all kinds be it political or otherwise has failed the hapless citizens. In a nation where corruption of all kinds is rife, where an effervescent frothy mindset is the norm and manipulating the system is the name of the game, a serving army chief hauling the central government to the Supreme court is only the beginning.
Seeking change in DOB is a service right of Govt. servant. But he has to seek it within 5 years of joining service. DOB is crucial for various service matters like eligibility, appointment, seniority, promotion & superannuation. If no time bar is fixed for seeking change in DOB, then chaos, confusion & injustice will prevail in the administration of that service resulting in lots of litigation. Police verification is a pre requite to verify the antecedents of a candidate before appointment but changing DOB is a civil right which has to be verified by the Govt. through revenue authorities who will give a report after verifying the municipal, school & other records & evidences produced by the Govt. servant. The Govt. will then issue orders after seeking the views of Law dept. and Service Commission. The Govt. servant, if still aggrieved, can move a Civil court. 100s of Govt. servants are seeking such change. Hence no need for a wide media coverage for Army Chief's action alone.
It is really a sad state of affairs. I am bemused as to why the president (supreme commander of armed forces) is quiet on this matter. This fiasco has made the Indian Army a laughing stock everywhere. The hon. President must intervene and resolve this issue at the earliest.
I bat for the Army chief. The values he describes hold merits. This war is not about holding post/ designation. It's about integrity. We trust you- Mr. V K Singh. Mr. Antony- The defense minister is also a man of values. I just don't understand how this blown out of proportion. Let's get the chapter close through judiciary- The only place now "Indian's with value" believes. Jai Hind.
The Chief of army staff has gone to the Court not against Government, but against his own office. Wasn't he as the Chief heading every arm of the defence forces including the AG Branch and MS Branch, responsible for correcting dual records of his date of birth? The question is not which is the correct figure -- it is an adminstrative matter that should have been settled long ago -- but why did he not act in time to have his date of birth made unique in all army records -- before and after he became the Chief. it must be remembered that armed forces, though under the Government, are not a part of the Government. Officers of the armed forces do not share the same gazzette as the civilian officers. As such, they enjoy complete autonomy in all aspects of governance of their affairs.
After failing in their duty of making a stitch in time, they have brought the matter to the doorstep of Judiciary now when the problem has aggravated to cause major turmoil in aspirations of his own officers.
I applaud the Army Chief's guts to do the right thing. And yes, if we civilians have forgotten, that 'Respect and Honor' are part of our integral value system; a system which we cannot afford to ignore, then we have lost the moral right to judge this case. Well done, Sir!!! The Defence Minister was also trying to tinker and tamper; another institution would have gone into the hands of the politicos; whims and fancies that they (Indian politicians) harbour, without realizing the long-term effects of such dilution, and how the younger generation will have to pay for such devil acts. I just hope that other Institutions take a cue from our Army Chief!!! That might save our great Country from the perilious path it has taken. Thanks to those Institutional Heads, who have caved in to the powers-that-be. One of my Professors said this, "Learn to ask the right question to the right person @ the right time". We Indians would do well to heed this, if we want to save our Country from peril.
Interesting! Previously it was chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice Anand. Now Chief of Army staff. I have always suspected in my corporate career some very senior officers claiming to be from IIM Ahmedabad. Judging from their corrupt practices and work behaviour one gets a doubt . No one carefully scrutinises . It happened in China where I currently work. The Chief of one of the leading companies came in for such controvery about his claim that he is educated in Harvard .He had to finally admit that he did some short term executive program on payment basis!
.. Army has a unique place and plays a vital role in shaping the destiny of our Great country. This Government ,due its inept handling and influence of central Bureaucrats ,is in the process of diminishing Army's role . We have Bharat Ratna awarded to various persons . Now I suggest this award be conferred on this Government as it has the unique distinction of spreading its octopus like wings in all fields of administrations . Also for 1. CWG & 2-G Scam 2. Depicting the Army as a set of people worse than terrorists in Kashmir 3.Dragging the inter -State Disputes ,thus spreading hatred between states.4. Introducing Reservation based on Religion ,thus spoiling the chances of OBCs.and creating conflict in the society.4.Corruption in all fields 5. Bringing dis-repute to selfless leaders like Annji ! 6. For allowing Indian Fishermen being killed [ more than 500] by Lankan Army 7. Considering Tamils lives as cheapest .The list is endless.
general is upright and honest that is why he has guts to channel the corrupt scam tainted govt which is in past involved with different defence deals and got sanctioned bofors deal which was inferior and more expensive by that time general , he is biggest hindance for acquiring for modernisation weaponaries ,in recession lot of companies are ready to sell for even 50% discount if govt do hard bargain and and select professionally, general is ultimate authority on which to buy and not .so weapon selling lobby is interested to install vikram singh tainted general who is involved different controversy of shoping complex allotment and his daughter in law from pakistan,,general awaited for 40 years to get his age proof rectified but babucracy did not do anything,i highly hope supreme court will fix the error and allow general to get his credibility ,respect restored by which was manipulated like depak kappor,jj singh senior who manipulated his date for birth to give benefit to vikram singh.
I was born in 1946 in a small village in TN and I have a birth certificate issued by the tahsildar of the village at that time. Surely, the general should have one also, considering he is younger to me by 5 years and was born after independence What does the certificate say as to his actual birth date? As long as this is the original document and not one issued in subsequent years, then this date is the correct birth date
In India, it is quite common to see Matriculation certificates showing a wrong date of birth. Parents deliberately manipulate it to get their kid into school earlier, for reasons best known to them. This is an all pervasive thing in our country- truth never prevails right from Date of Birth. hat public cannot help wonder- What sort of an army is this- that cannot even maintain a proper record of their own chief's Date of Birth! Do we have to imagine the state of decay in the other areas of consequence! And also, can the this army chief explain why he waited this long & never bothered to correct the record, until his own retirement is round the corner!
Everybody in India has two birthdays, a SSLC birthday and a real
birthday. The first birthday is used to get into school when they
shouldn't. The second birthday is used to prolong their service when
they shouldn't. People can't have it both ways. Mr. V.K. Singh
should leave quietly without fuss, since no one can truly know his
true birthday. Argument over it is not going to settle anything.
India is considered a nation of IT professionals and hub. How unfortunate it is not to have centralised data base in army. I have also seen websites of Loksabha/Rajya Sabha etc and they are not updated, not every day or week but for years.
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