RS: Bill on tribunal for forces tabled

The Bill proposes a tribunal for adjudication or trial of complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrollment and conditions of service of persons under the purview of the three service acts. In other words, men and women in uniform with complaints will not have to take recourse to civilian justice for purely military matters.

Last year, the three forces faced embarrassments at the hands of Supreme Court. The loudest was the IAF promotions row, in which the SC made harsh observations about what it thought was an “arbitrary” promotions process. Now the IAF faces possible litigations by dismissed officer Anjali Gupta and three other women cadets from the Air Force Academy.

After three Navy personnel were dismissed last month for stealing information from the operations room, one of them has moved the HC. Assorted Army officers, accused of hoarding liquor, running illegal property rackets or just plain misbehaving have had to move civilian courts for military justice meted out them.

Critics believe that the Tribunal, when fully functional, is too little too late. But the armed forces are pleased with what they feel is a far more exclusive set of legal procedures, in which disgruntled officers’ complaints will not necessarily mean washing dirty linen in public.