The inquiry had been ordered after the lady complained to the Chief of Army Staff and the Defence Minister in May this year levelling the allegations as well as producing photographs and video clips in support of her complaint.
The woman officer from Military Intelligence (MI) had earlier been in the news when she took part in botched intelligence operation in Jorhat in Assam in 2011 while serving with 3 Corps Intelligence and Surveillance Unit. (Representative Image)
The Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to look into the allegations levelled by a Colonel’s wife against a woman Major of the Corps of Military intelligence accusing her of having improper relations with her husband as well as some senior flag rank officers of the Army.
The inquiry, which is currently underway at Al Hilal military station near Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, is being presided upon by the General Officer Commanding of Yol-based 39 Mountain Division, Maj Gen VS Ranade. The two other members of the inquiry are Brigadier PPS Bajwa, Commander 33 Mountain Brigade and Colonel SK Dhawan. Two senior flag rank officers, a retired Lt General and a serving Major General have already been examined by the Court of Inquiry.
Given the nature of allegations and the involvement of a woman officer, another woman officer of the Army Medical Corps from 439 Field Ambulance Unit has been deputed as ‘member in attendance’ in the inquiry.
Highly placed sources in Western Command inform that the Colonel’s wife has already deposed in the Court of Inquiry. The inquiry had been ordered after the lady complained to the Chief of Army Staff and the Defence Minister in May this year levelling the allegations as well as producing photographs and video clips in support of her complaint.
It is also learnt that the inquiry has resorted depositions of witnesses through video conferencing in order to save time. Under the terms of reference of the inquiry, it has also been asked to suggest remedial measures to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in future.
The woman officer from Military Intelligence (MI) had earlier been in the news when she took part in botched intelligence operation in Jorhat in Assam in 2011 while serving with 3 Corps Intelligence and Surveillance Unit. The incident had resulted in a lot of controversy and the then Chief of Army Staff, General VK Singh, had issued a show cause notice to the then GOC 3 Corps, and later the Army Chief, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, for improper supervision.
Later, the MI Major, who was a Captain at the time, was ordered to be tried summarily and was also given punishment. She had faced two charges under Section 63 of the Army Act and was accused of ‘An omission prejudicial to good order and military discipline”.
She was accused of not keeping proper command and control over the raiding party which conducted a counter-insurgency operation. In the same operation one 7.65 mm pistol and a cell phone were allegedly stolen by members of the military intelligence raiding party taking part in the operation. She faced a second charge for not maintaining a seizure memo of the confiscated documents and not taking a representative of the local police during the conduct of the said operation.