Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 11

While holding that participation in adventure activities, when detailed for the same, was bona fide service duty, the Armed Force Tribunal (AFT) has termed as “perverse” and “malafide” Defence Accounts Department officials’ move to reject ex gratia benefits to the widow of an Air Force officer who had died during an expedition to Mt Everest 10 years ago.“Without applying the mind to the provisions, the case of the petitioner has been rejected. We hope that the government will take appropriate action against the delinquent officials for sitting over the issue for so long,” the AFT said.While descending after successfully summiting the Everest, the officer, Squadron Leader SS Chaitanya, had died in May 2005 due to a heavy storm. His wife had sought ex gratia.The Air Force had recommended ex gratia in accordance with the Rules of Casualty Pensionary Awards to Armed Forces Personnel, which state that mountaineering expeditions organised by the service authorities, with the approval of the Service Headquarters would be deemed to be ‘on duty’.The detailment orders issued for the officer by the Air Headquarters and the government sanction letter for the expedition were also produced on court record.An officer of the level of Joint Controller of Defence Accounts (JCDA), however, refused to grant ex gratia. The AFT said the respondent department had not filed reply as to why the payment has not been made and that the stand of the JCDA was that there was no casual connection in the occurrence of the death and the service rendered by the officer.Ruling that there was no dispute that the victim was on official duty, the AFT said it was pained to note that the matter was treated with utmost callousness without understanding the plight of the officer’s wife. It directed the authorities to release ex gratia within two months along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from the date of the officer’s death.

Punjab SP has been ‘less than truthful’ during interrogation, suspects NIA

Mukesh Ranjan,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 11

Questioning of Punjab SP Salwinder Singh by the National Investigation Agency today remained inconclusive as investigators suspected him of being “less than truthful”. His questioning will continue tomorrow.Singh and his two accomplices — Rajesh Verma and Madan Gopal — were abducted by terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 when they were returning from a shrine.Sources in the Punjab Police say the NIA would ask Salwinder Singh to explain what he had been doing for three hours, from the time he visited the dera till he was kidnapped. The distance between the dera and the site where he was abducted is about 5 km. The officer has been unable to explain what he was doing on this stretch for three hours.A separate NIA team continued to question Verma and Gopal in Pathankot. Sources said Gopal would be called to the NIA headquarters in Delhi and the date of his questioning would be intimated soon.Sources in the anti-terror probe agency said the NIA would soon ask Interpol to issue Black Corner Notice for establishing identity of the terrorists killed by security forces in the Pathankot air base.Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the NIA would review the answers of Salwinder and his two accomplices to decide whether they would be made accused or witness in the case.Singh reached the NIA headquarters at 10.45 am on Monday after being summoned by the anti-terror agency in connection with its investigation into the Pathankot attack. The police officer didn’t speak while entering the NIA office.Sources in the NIA said several discrepancies had been found in the versions of Salwinder and his two accomplices and thus the possibility of subjecting them to a lie detector test was not being ruled out.Meanwhile, since NIA has taken over the case, during its own searches in the air base complex, the investigators have found one AK-47 magazine and a mobile handset, besides several guns and huge quantity of explosives and aluminium powder handed over to it by security forces involved in the operation.The NIA has registered three cases in connection with the terror strike at the Pathankot IAF base. The first case pertains to abduction and the second to the killing of a taxi driver. The third case relates to the terrorist attack on the air base.

While holding that participation in adventure activities, when detailed for the same, was bona fide service duty, the Armed Force Tribunal (AFT) has termed as “perverse” and “malafide” Defence Accounts Department officials’ move to reject ex gratia benefits to the widow of an Air Force officer who had died during an expedition to Mt Everest 10 years ago.“Without applying the mind to the provisions, the case of the petitioner has been rejected. We hope that the government will take appropriate action against the delinquent officials for sitting over the issue for so long,” the AFT said.While descending after successfully summiting the Everest, the officer, Squadron Leader SS Chaitanya, had died in May 2005 due to a heavy storm. His wife had sought ex gratia.The Air Force had recommended ex gratia in accordance with the Rules of Casualty Pensionary Awards to Armed Forces Personnel, which state that mountaineering expeditions organised by the service authorities, with the approval of the Service Headquarters would be deemed to be ‘on duty’.The detailment orders issued for the officer by the Air Headquarters and the government sanction letter for the expedition were also produced on court record.An officer of the level of Joint Controller of Defence Accounts (JCDA), however, refused to grant ex gratia. The AFT said the respondent department had not filed reply as to why the payment has not been made and that the stand of the JCDA was that there was no casual connection in the occurrence of the death and the service rendered by the officer.Ruling that there was no dispute that the victim was on official duty, the AFT said it was pained to note that the matter was treated with utmost callousness without understanding the plight of the officer’s wife. It directed the authorities to release ex gratia within two months along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from the date of the officer’s death.

His accomplice will be summoned to Delhi

• A separate NIA team on Monday continued to question Punjab SP Salwinder Singh’s (pic) two accomplices — Rajesh Verma and Madan Gopal in Pathankot
• Sources say Gopal will be called to the NIA headquarters in Delhi and the date of his questioning will be announced soon
• Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the NIA would review the answers of the trio to decide whether they would be made accused or witness in the case