Sukna land scam: Tribunal clean chit to Lt Gen Rath

The legal proceedings against Lt Gen Rath were initiated by Gen (retd) V K Singh, who was then Eastern Army commander under whom Rath was the Corps commander of Sukna-based 33 Corps.

“The petitioner is acquitted of all charges. He is entitled to restoration of all benefits with 12 per cent interest… An individual’s reputation and honour is a fundamental right,” the AFT said in its 77 page judgment.  “Justice has been given to Gen Rath. The court said that his reputation cannot be compensated, but has ordered the Army to pay Rs 1 lakh to Rath,” said the official’s advocate S S Pandey.

The case pertains to a 71 acre plot next to Sukna military station and the allegations that Rath issued an NoC to a private educational institute — Geetanjali Education Trust — to construct a school on this land in 2008.

While the Army’s GCM had acquitted Rath of the charges under “intent of defraud”, it had held him guilty on three counts — for allegedly issuing directions for conveying of no objection, direction for entering into an MoU and not informing the  HQ Eastern Command about these facts.

Lt Gen Rath, who had challenged the verdict of the GCM in the AFT had claimed that he was victimised by Gen Singh, now a Union minister.

“The matter was given undue prominence by (General (retd) V K Singh) Respondent No 2 later, since he had a serious grudge against the then military secretary Lt Gen Awadesh Prakash who he held responsible for obtaining a commitment from him on the issue of his date of birth which stood in the way of his extension of tenure as the Chief of the Army Staff,” he had said in his petition.