New Delhi, Apr 23: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to quash the appointment of Lieutenant General Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief. Presently Eastern Army Commander, he will replace General VK Singh as chief after latter’s retirement at the end of May this year.
 The Apex Court, while dismissing the petition, said that it saw "no reason for intervention". The petitioners had argued that Lt General Bikram Singh's appointment was "manipulated" and that such manipulation began in 2005, with other contenders being overlooked. It had further said that the row over the age of the current Army Chief was part of an effort to ensure that his tenure ended and Lt General Singh, who is the senior-most Army commander and so next in line, could take over. 
 The petition also mentioned Lt General Bikram Singh's alleged role in a 2001 Janglat Mandi (Anantnag) fake encounter case pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and of a tenure in Congo when, as the head of an Indian peacekeeping force, he came under criticism for failing to curb indiscipline and alleged corruption in the force.
 The Supreme Court had, earlier in the day, asked to see the file on his appointment as the next Army Chief. The Centre has submitted the file in court today.  While asking the Centre to present Lt General Singh's file, the court had also sought to know whether the appointment committee had considered the allegations against him while deciding to appoint him as the next Army Chief.
 The Centre had strongly rebutted all charges in court and said the petition against Lt General Singh is malicious and has communal overtones in suggesting that the appointment has been manipulated to get a Sikh officer as Army chief. The Centre said the appointment is transparent.
 The PIL has been filed by a group of retired officers and bureaucrats led by former Navy chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST