Army chief defends action taken in land scam

Defending his move to initiate disciplinary action against former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash in the Sukna land scam, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said it was the 'best course of action' he took after analysing the facts of the case and on the advice of Union Defence Minister A K Antony.

"I felt this is the best course of action based on the kind of facts after analysing the case and on the advice of Defence Minister A K Antony (in the Sukna land scam)," Kapoor told Karan Thapar in CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme.

The army chief said the aspect of legal recourse in the case was not yet complete as only the court of inquiry was over and the other processes will have to be completed.

"The summary of evidence will happen. That is when the commanding officer will look at facts and decide on what is to be done. There is a misunderstanding among the public that if an officer is court martialled, he is headed for the gallows. It is not right. Many officers have been acquitted by court martials before," he said.

Asked about Prakash challenging the disciplinary action in the Armed Forces Tribunal, he said the tribunal could decide on the matter after hearing both the sides and refused to comment more on it.

Admitting that the Sukna and scam has dented the image of the army, Kapoor blamed the media for sensationalising the case without understanding the nuances of Military Law.