Over 100 Indian army officers move court over discrimination in promotions

NEW DELHI: Indian armed forces faces an awkward situation as more than 100 lieutenant colonels and majors of the Army have moved the Supreme Court over alleged “discrimination and injustice” in promotion of officers of the services corps.

According to their petition, “This act of Army and Union government (discrimination in promotion) has created tremendous injustice to the petitioners and others which is detrimental to the morale of the officers and, in turn, to the defence of the country,” they said.

“The petitioners also wish to draw attention of the Supreme Court that the sacrifices of officers of services corps are at par, if not more, with officers of combat arms corps in the Indian Army,” they said.

“Officers from all other corps (like Signals) in the Indian Army, who are similarly placed as the petitioners, are being considered as ‘operational’ for all purposes while officers of services corps have been discriminated arbitrarily despite the fact that there is no difference in deployment and other duties which they are bound by the Army Act to discharge,” they added.

The petitioners urged the SC to order the government and the Army “to uphold the law that the combat services are an integral and operational arm of the regular Indian Army and treat combat services at par with the other corps of regular Army”.

“In the alternative, the government and Army may be restrained from routinely deploying services corps in any area of operation, save and except in circumstances of exigencies,” they said