Asserting that the verdict of Armed Forces Tribunal in the Sukna land scam in West Bengal has pointed fingers at individuals rather than focusing on issues, Union Minister and former army chief General (retd.) V K Singh on Saturday said that it needs a re-look.
"I have got nothing to comment on a decision. It is a decision given by the armed forces tribunal and armed forces tribunal has a retired honourable judge who is advised by retired armed forces officers. And what advise the armed forces officers have given is what he goes by, because he does not know anything about the armed forces," General (retd.) Singh said while reacting to the clean chit given to former army commander Lieutenant General (retd.) PK Rath by the Armed Forces Tribunal.
"So, all that I would say is that there is a need for people to look at this all over again. And in 77 pages you do not talk of whether there was a scam or not, what was the validity of the whole thing. Whether all the relevant evidence that was put up in front of the general court martial and you only talk of peripherial individual issues, I think we need to look at it again," he added.
Earlier on Friday, the Armed Forces Tribunal quashed the court martial of Lieutenant General (retd.)P K Rath, who was punished for his alleged role in the scam.
There were allegations leveled against Rath that he had reportedly issued an No objection Certificate (NoC) to a private educational institute - Geetanjali Education Trust - to construct a school in the 71 acre plot next to Sukna military station in 2008.
