Colonel who fought for free ration restoration wins battle, loses promotion

Colonel Mukul Dev, an officer of the Army’s Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) department, the legal wing of the Army, on Thursday tweeted: “Pleasantly surprised today morning for having received my entitled rations at last after more than two years of illegal stoppage. However, one cannot forget injustice meeted to me for raising my voice against the illegal stoppage of entitled ration.”

Colonel Mukul Dev, who is now posted at a military station in the western sector, was issued a ‘displeasure’ by the Army authorities just before his promotion board for the rank of brigadier was to take place in May 2018, which effectively stopped his name from being empanelled for promotion. He has challenged the punishment accorded to for allegedly sending the legal notice him, in a petition submitted before the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).

In his petition, a copy of which is available with The Indian Express, Colonel Dev has contended that the punishment was given to him to harm his chances of becoming a brigadier.

“The respondents have been granting free ration to all officers as a service privilege and such privileges are mentioned in the advertisements issued by the respondents for seeking candidates for commission into the Army. The respondents issued directions to stop provision of ‘free ration’ to officers posted in peace area on July 1, 2017, and as such since the orders changed the terms and conditions of service and the applicant with the aim to take legal recourse for his entitlement issued legal notice dated July 1, 2017 to the Union of India through the Secretary Ministry of Defence without giving any copy to anyone,” the petition states.

After the serving of the legal notice and its circulation on social media platforms, the Army served a showcause notice on the Colonel to which he replied that his right to seek legal remedy has not been abrogated by any law or Constitution despite him being in the Army and that it was as available to him as to any other citizen of India.

However, the officer was placed under ‘Discipline and Vigilance Ban’, and thereafter served with ‘Displeasure’, following which he was rejected by the promotion board.

Meanwhile, congratulatory messages poured in on Twitter for Colonel Dev from several veteran officers who hailed him for putting the interests of the larger body of officers in the Army ahead of his own career interests.