On the eve of the Supreme Court taking up his petition on the age issue, Chief of the Army Staff General V.K. Singh called on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here on Thursday.
While there is no official word on what transpired between them, the meeting assumes significance, coming as it does so close to the court hearing.
Whether the government and the Army Chief are hammering out a compromise is not known but the understanding is that Mr. Mukherjee is attempting to find a solution to the problem that was to have been settled during the time he headed the Defence Ministry.
On his part, Defence Minister A.K. Antony has maintained that the Army keeping two different dates of birth on its record led to the imbroglio.
The Adjutant-General Branch, official record-keeper, has registered General Singh's date of birth as May 10, 1951, while the Military Secretary Branch shows it as May 10, 1950.
