SC dismisses PIL against Lt Gen Bikram Singh

Apex court says it does not find any justifiable grounds to entertain petition

The Supreme Court today dismissed a public-interest litigation filed by retired officers and bureacrats challenging the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next chief of the Indian Army, once the current incumbent, Gen V K Singh demits office on May 31.

The apex court stated that it did not find any justifiable grounds to entertain the petition, which had been filed by former Naval Chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas and former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy, among others.

The petitioners had alleged that the new chief-in-waiting was involved in a fake encounter in Jammu & Kashmir, and had also failed to take action against some officers accused of rape and sexual harrassment when they were posted in Congo in 2008 as part of the UN peace-keeping mission.

However, the Supreme Court asserted that the dismissal of the petition would not affect any pending proceedings against Bikram Singh.