Apropos the edit “Dating a birth” (January 19), General V K Singh’s filing of a writ petition in the Supreme Court is simply an exercise of his fundamental right under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution. However, his bona fide arguments come under a cloud when one considers the fact that he has swung into action only in the last year of his service, when the issue gained prominence as far back as 2006. En route to his ascent in the command hierarchy, the army chief had had ample opportunity to seek redressal at every instance of promotion. Intuitively, this late no-holds-barred showdown can only be construed as a reluctance to relinquish power. A legal verdict would not be such a bad thing after all, because it embodies faith in the due process of law. But the politicisation of the debate might set an unwarranted precedent of insubordination. There is bound to be confusion created in the minds of the rank-and-file soldiers as to where their allegiances should lie — towards the superiors in the command hierarchy or towards the civilians he is constitutionally bound to protect. Battalion commanders must not stoke any polarisation of troops on civilian government versus military sentiments — because both are invaluable for the healthy functioning of democracy.
Sudipta Das Kolkata
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