Army Chief Rawat Dismisses Maj Gen Accused of Sexual Harassment

The major general had denied the charges and claimed that he had been made a victim of the Army’s factional feud.

The Army has dismissed a serving major general involved in a case of alleged sexual harassment, official sources cited by PTI said on Friday, 16 August.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has approved his dismissal from service. He would also not be entitled to pension, reports said.

"Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has confirmed the sentence awarded to the officer. The decision of the Chief of Army Staff was intimated to the major general by the 2 Corps Commander Lt Gen MJS Kahlon today in Ambala," Army officials told ANI.

The confirmation of the dismissal was signed by the army chief in July, ANI further reported.

Responding to the dismissal, advocate Anand Kumar, who was representing the major general in the trial, was quoted by ANI as saying, "The confirmation of the sentence and its promulgation is illegal as the major general has not been supplied a copy of court-martial proceedings till date to enable him to file a pre-confirmation petition despite the orders passed by AFT (Armed Forces Tribunal), Delhi. His review application is also pending and despite that, the sentence has been confirmed by General Rawat, who was also made aware of the order of AFT through a legal notice sent by us. We will challenge this confirmation order."

Ordered to be Dismissed by General Court Martial Last Year

In December last year, the major general was ordered to be dismissed by general court martial (GCM) following allegations of sexual harassment of a woman officer.

The major general had reportedly been charged under Section 69 of the Army Act read with Section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman by criminal force or assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for conduct unbecoming of an officer

The Army officer had earlier denied the charges levelled against him and claimed that he had been made a victim of the Army’s factional feud at the top level.

As per Army rules, the recomendations of the GCM in the more than two-year-old sexual harassment case were sent to higher authorities, including Chief of Army Staff, for confirmation.

The major general had been serving in Nagaland when the case of alleged sexual harassment against him surfaced.