This refers to Ajai Shukla's column "MoD courts trouble" (Broadsword, April 2). It is unfortunate that the tight control by the ministry of defence (MoD) on the functioning of the well-intentioned Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has reduced considerably its effectiveness (in rendering quick and humane justice to the soldiers, sailors and airmen to resolve their grievances). Not only do they work under stressful and adverse conditions, but also their only source of earning is their legitimate pay. (The trickle-down "benefit" of "other sources of earning" is not available to them.) In bureaucracy, everyone from the minister to the peon has a share in the illicit money, but even when, unfortunately, the malady of corruption has affected the senior echelons of defence forces, the soldiers and their counterparts do not have a share in the pie. On the other hand, their woes increase if the bribe leads to purchase of substandard arsenal. Their grievances, thus, need to be addressed in a humane manner. However, with the MoD being respondent in many cases, its grip on AFT makes the process of delivering justice vulnerable to subjective judgment.
Y G Chouksey Pune
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