General Indicted Again… Whom To Blame Now !!

Read my previous blog posts on the matter in addition to  here, here and here.

In  the atonement to its previous CoI Indian Army had revisited the facts and Court Of Inquiry was reconvened in order to permit accused General   to cross examine the witnesses which allegedly was not followed in previous Court of Inquiry (though there were speculations during the previous CoI that the officer was present during the proceedings but refused to cross examine the witnesses). 

Well the fresh CoI has completed its investigations and cross examination of witnesses again as challenged and petitioned for by the accused General in Armed Forces Tribunal and Hon'ble Supreme Court few days back and has not blessed the accused General with any primary reprieve.

The CoI has submitted its fresh report of findings and has comprehensively found Lt Gen Avdhesh Prakash (the senior most Army Official so far to be indicted and have faced Court Martial) guilty again. Seems that how hard you may try but law certainly finds its upper hand, more so after the Hon'ble Supreme Court’s summary dismissal of the petition by the General  anticipating “more skeletons might tumble out of the closet” and suggesting general to revisit the Supreme Court if he finds himself aggrieved by the findings or decisions of the Army’s CoI (again).

So the fresh CoI report has been sent over to Army Judge Advocate General’s  Branch presently headed by Maj Gen C S Nair. The report is to be put up to Gen V K Singh as then Eastern Army commander who recommended summary dismissal of the officer.

Moral of The Story:

You Can Run You Cannot Hide, Because You Are Running And You Are The Guide.. 

Production Shearing Contract - Update 2

Read here my earlier Blog post on the Battling Brothers

After almost one year of the row made by Mr. Anil Ambani in his AGM last year in July now when the Govt. has upheld the fact openly and substantially that all oil reserves belong to the Govt. and it has power and authority to allocate the price. Now Govt. has given six weeks period to the family to settle issues between them which was evolved by Kokilaben Ambani to sort out long unsavory battle between two sons regarding gas distribution.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has already made it abundantly clear in last July for both parties that he is “personally appalled and disgusted at how the two brothers are fighting over something that does not belong to them. Natural gas belongs to the government and is a public asset just like uranium or coal or iron ore.”

The point worth a note here is as I have already mentioned in my earlier post that Anil Ambani is not asking for ownership of gas but his entitlement from RIL's share.

Apex Court said that “Under the PSC, RIL does not become the owner of the natural gas, and there is nothing like specified physical quantities of natural gas to be shared by GoI and RIL”. It also endorsed “that renegotiation shall be within the framework of governmental policy and approvals regarding price, quantity and tenure of supply of gas”.

To make it rather easier to understand….

“Reliance Industries said the gas can’t be sold for less than $4.20 per million Btu. Reliance Natural can’t buy the gas as agreed unless the government approves the sale while the government in September 2007 set the price of gas from the Krishna Godavari field at $4.20 per million British thermal units when the price of crude oil is equal to or more than $60 a barrel. That’s 79 percent higher than the price agreed by both”

Justice Reddy also gave a direction to the government, he said “It is high time for the government to frame a comprehensive policy /suitable legislation for energy security of India and supply of natural gas under the PSC.”

Now the verdict of Supreme Court is out as a vindication of Govt’s stance. It said the company can sell gas to Anil Ambani’s Reliance Natural Resources Ltd. at government-set prices that are higher than those in a 2005 family accord. It asked the parties to renegotiate their contract within six weeks.

So next Six weeks are going to be cumbersome and deciding for Anil Ambani’s ADAG which already had faced a harsh slump the day prior up to 22% in stock market post Supreme court’s verdict.

Moral of the Story:  

Why Do We Fight ?

To get what we don’t have is the most convenient and viable option but When Ambani’s are concerned..  All I can think of is 

“What A Waste”

Myths, Maoists, Tribal, Adivasis, Agenda, Politics.

The dissonant merger of Maoists and Tribals in public conversations has been a debatable topic as old as Maoists and Tribals existence "politically". Recently I was travelling with Avni and Prabhaharan from Heifer International during one of the visits by them where this topic somehow caught up the conversation and they were discussing this Maoist and Tribal problem and differences between both terms which are used conveniently and interchangeably by the Political Masters and general public. Since silence is the best knowledge when we are ignorant of the facts and at the same time after a while silent person knows at least something. Same applied to me that day and I learnt a lot about Maoists and Tribals in that one hour about which I was totally clueless until that day apart from my experience when as a part of my previous job I had to send consignment of around fifteen truck loads to the different areas of Orissa and I faced a great difficulty in hiring trucks for that area due to Maoist problem. I could not find any transporter to serve that area in particular.That day I seriously thought about this overlap of interests among Maoists and Tribals and their reasons for rage and fight. 
Today morning as usual I was reading daily news while this piece of article caught my attention which tried efficiently to explain what probably is going on here in disguise of all Political stunts in India. Pragmatic Euphony has tried to differentiate between the perceived state and actual state of fight and the fighters in tribal areas of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand.
The debate was brought in open by The " Times of India" and "The Hindu" in Feb. 2010. Difference between the tribals and the non-tribals is best understood by reading these two interviews on " Naxal Terror Watch" and " Tehelka" of an ex-Maoist leader of tribal origin, Gurucharan Kisku aka Marshal. Have a detailed piece of information on Outlook Web about overlap of Maoists and Tribal identity.
The challenge is to define the distinction between these two and create public awareness about this issue and generate a public opinion for people like me who deliberately deprive themselves of any news containing bloodbath and politics.
I feel government should act and deal differently and more importantly, sensibly to solve this long standing problem and take real responsibility of its actions converging themselves into results positively.


Government must act fast so that children from these areas should not learn new A to Z, that says, A for Ammunition, B for Blood, C for Chopping, D for Death and so on.... 

Passing On The Gift

"Sharing and Caring" and " Passing On The Gift" is a Simple Statement, yet it is powerful enough to have changed so many lives in a considerably short span of time. Heifer International made me realize this Subtly, Sensibly and Effortlessly.


Visiting Heifer International Projects in India was an eye opener for me. I had an enriching experience with Clive Baillie, Dawn Baillie, Brigitte Lacombe, Merian Lacombe, Whitney Robinson, Pamela and Avani Malhotra and R. Prabhaharan from Heifer International India. Account of it may be read on a Blog Post by Annie Bergman Copywriter for Heifer Project International  on Heifer's Blog and with whom I had a great pleasure working for three days and these are the most memorable days of my life. It was indeed an amazing learning experience for me. Here is a brief account of my experience.
On Day One of our visit we met a group of women who had no source of income before they were assisted by the Project for "Community Development through Livestock Rearing" initiated and supported by Heifer Project International [HPI], USA with their project partner "IBTADA" an NGO working towards the Girl Child Education and women empowerment in Alwar area. They received assistance in the form of livestock and now over a period of less than 3 years they are able to distinguish themselves with the state they were in prior to receive such assistance. Goat rearing has alleviated their standard of living considerably and women are imparting this growth in the form of goats to other members of the group and community which has conclusively improved the community's state of living.
The idea of Goat distribution by Heifer International is very considerate in a manner as these people are not able to afford water buffaloes given their state of seasonal employment and erratic income structure. They were distributed Goats as a part of project.
On Day Two we met a group of women who have significantly and expressly empowered themselves and have carved a niche for themselves in the backdrop of cunning restrictions by the society. The project has brought about a definite substance in their lives which they were unable to realize before the Gender Training they were given under project. During one such training session we observed they were simply asked to mention the restrictions (if they feel there were any) on them as a women, to which they denied unanimously but when called for symbolic demonstration by ways of tying Black Ribbons (one for each restriction) we witnessed that how unknowingly and without even realizing it they tied a lady with ribbons on almost every part of her body signifying restrictions posed on her, on mouth signifying restricted speech, hands signifying deprivation of education, on feet signifying her restricted movement and restriction that moved me most was the restriction on their stomach signifying ruthlessly that women are meant for procreation and bearing a male heir for their family and as long as she is unable to bear a male child procreation is just hit and trial for her until she achieves it resulting into large families which they are unable to support, educate and maintain. But after Gender Training they have started respecting themselves for what they are now and are able to understand that children should not be discriminated on gender basis rather treated equally ensuring their holistic development which was imparted subtly under project.
On Day Three we met the women from old project areas where the project has been functioning for over 8 years now. They are "Original Groups" who received their livestock in order to support themselves also this is the group where these Self Help groups have been functioning very smoothly and orderly for around ten years now being old project areas. They are running their own banking system to support the members of group and community. We met a lady Anandi Devi, 47,  who is the leader of the group by the virtue of her innate qualities and has been working as a Para Veterinarian for more than 14 months now and as per her estimation she has already treated over 1000 goats and water buffaloes after she got formal training for the same by IBTADA. She is a role model for the village Moreda and everyone in the village respects her and treats her equivalent to Veterinary Doctor and Anandi Devi feels proud about it and is determined to tread on the path to pass it on to others.


To sum up the entire project and assistance by Heifer Project International and IBTADA has brought a significant change in their lives and it has acted as a trigger to their self worth, self esteem and sense of responsibility towards themselves and for those around them. The efforts by women who were deprived of social life, self employment, self identity, who were restricted and homebound, who were not even able to comprehend and realize their worth are now able to taste the success and fruit bearing efforts in the recent past and are self motivated now to keep it going and "Pass It On To The Next Generation".


Passing On The Gifts is mere significant of wider implementation of ideas and resources for sustainable development effortlessly. 

House For MesS

House no: 519, Sector 23 Gurgaon--Yes that's the address of the Rs 10 crore residence!!

While the Court of Inquiry, involving former MS Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash, is being re-convened in the Kolkata-based Eastern Command, in an exclusive follow up according to defence journalists it has been learnt that above mentioned house in Gurgaon is ready for the officer, which he started constructing after he came to South Block as MS on May 1, 2008. Also, South Block buzz has it that he was involved in taking bribe from officers for getting them posted to Delhi.
Even after VIth pay commission, we fail to comprehend that a retired Indian army officer- even three star rank - can own a house worth Rs 10 crores ? Will this be inquired into, does  Mr. A K Antony will take notice.. or whether he is aware ...

MesS is Even Messier Now For Former M(es)S

Courtsey: Chindits

Not All The Grass Is Olive Green....

As the Title says it all and is applicable for few who have Green Glasses and need to be shown the colour of deeds.. Its goes right like this...

Overruling the army chief, defence minister A.K. Antony has asked for disciplinary proceedings that may lead to a court martial against the military secretary, Lt Gen. Avadhesh Prakash, after he was indicted by an internal inquiry in the Sukna land transfer case. Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor had issued a showcause notice to Prakash demanding an explanation why administrative action should not be taken against him as "The Telegraph" stated.
Lt Gen Prakash is due to retire at the end of this week and Senior officers in army headquarters are scheduled to attend his “dining out” farewell party tomorrow. If a court martial is ordered, Lt Gen Prakash will have to appear before it even after his retirement on January 31. Antony had made his views known to the army chief after the military secretary had responded to the showcause notice on 25th January. Lt Gen Prakash may be the seniormost officer to be court-martialled.

The move to direct a switch from “administrative action” to “disciplinary action” can be seen as evidence of the mild-mannered Antony having concluded that the army chief was being too protective of his principal staff officer. 
It also means that the government has taken the Sukna land transfer issue as much larger than a case of suspected corruption involving the military secretary and Siliguri-based realtor Dilip Agarwal.
More important, it was a breach of security rules in the strategic “chicken’s neck” or Siliguri Corridor. This was brought out in the report of the court of inquiry convened by Lt. Gen. V.K. Singh.“Administrative action” can mean non-recordable censure, recordable censure or sacking. While the censure can be given by the army chief, it is only the government that can terminate the services of an officer as punishment. After the investigation in Calcutta the army chief issued a showcause notice to Prakash asking him to explain why administrative action should not be taken against him. A source in the army headquarters said the chief was contemplating a “censure”.
Court martial sentences can vary from censure to cashiering (being stripped of rank and privileges and dismissal). 
By ordering disciplinary proceedings against Prakash, Antony has sent a political message too that the instrument of court martial will now be used against senior officers also.

The grass is no more OG for those who think OG

Show Cause to General.... Generally..

The Army Chief, Gen Deepak Kapoor, letting off MS, Lt Gen Avdhesh Prakash, before his retirement without any punishment, is a known fact. It was well understood that the MS would be let off with something like an explanation on paper, followed by perhaps a severe displeasure.

If MS was taken high-handedly, he would have certainly got the Chief too in deep shit, who along with the MS met the Maharaja of Jodhpur, for whatever reason and also his wife Keerti Kapoor as one of the trustees of the School Board.

According to a defence journalist, Chief has three options, which are to give recordable censure to the officer, which means no promotions for him in the next three years, or non-recordable censure; which actually means nothing , just a letter of displeasure, or a dismissal from service which has to be brought through the President of India's office, via MoD, after invoking the clause of the President's displeasure which freezes the officer's pensionary benefits etc----this was also the case in former Naval Chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat's case. Adm Bhagwat got administrative action as dismissal as displeasure of the President, which affected his pension, which he got restored after going to the Supreme Court.

We all have to wait till the MS replies and see how convincing his reply is and how much is the Chief convinced, but by the time all this happens the MS retires !! Lt Gen Rath faces court martial and the other two also have to reply to their show-causes!!

Close to the end of his tenure, General Kapoor is under a cloud after failing to act decisively in a succession of scandals: from dubious procurements during his command in Udhampur, to the recent land scam allegedly involving his close affiliate. While investigating those unsparingly, the MoD owes support to a respected institution — the Chief of Army Staff — when it is under gratuitous media attack.

Jack fell down.. Jill come Tumbling After..

As the Court of Inquiry findings of the land scam case involving the Military Secretary, Lt Gen Avdhesh Prakash awaits a decision at the top, It has been discovered that Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur, who is also a patron of the Ajmer-based Mayo College, was approached by the Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor and Military Secy Lt Gen Avdhesh. The meeting which took place in Jodhpur was to rope in the Maharaja into the project, which is to make a chain of schools on similar lines, under Geetanjali Educational Trust. MS is connected with the land broker who was facilitating the deal, Dilip Agarwal.

The Maharaja is said to have refused to do anything with the Trust, which claims to have an affiliation with Mayo. Mrs Keerti Kapoor also finds her name on the Board of Trustees of the Educational Trust. As the scam gets murkier, sources have said that it is quite unlikely that the Chief would take any action against the MS, who is just 20 days to retire from service, as the Chief also would find himself dragged into the controversial scam, if the MS was questioned. The Chief superannuates on March 31, 2010, and it would be a huge embarrassment for the Government to question the Chief, take action against him and send him home before Mar 31st.

Military Secretary, Lt Gen Avdhesh Prakash, when questioned if he had met the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh, in the Court of Inquiry in Kolkata, he admitted to having met him, to which he was asked further if someone else also went with him, his answer to which was, "I don't remember".

But it is certain as per reliable sources that the MS and the Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, had met the Maharaja last year to get the school-chain endorsed, as Gaj Singh is a patron of the Ajmer-based Mayo College, to which the Maharaja refused.

The CoI and the Eastern Army Commander, Lt Gen V K Singh, were aware of this clandestine meeting, according to reliable sources, which is why this question was brought up during the inquiry, and was left at that, when the MS said he doesn't remember. The decision of the matter, (which is under the AG, Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal, a Rajput officer, the same regiment as the next Chief Lt Gen V K Singh), is solely the Chief's decision, and can't be questioned even by the MoD. Section 123 can be invoked, (Section 123 of the Army Act, which empowers army to take action against individuals who have retired.) if a Court Martial is announced before the officer retires and thereafter is attached for further inquiry and recording of summary of evidence.Even if Lt Gen Prakash opts to quit from service, he will need to get clearance from the vigilance department before his resignation is accepted by the Defence Ministry. It has been indicated, that what the Chief fears is the former deputy chief designate Lieutenant General P K Rath, more than the MS, which is what explains why everyone in this case are likely to go scot-free. AG can only recommend, but the final decision lies with the Chief!!

"Lets see skeletons have started tumbling out of the closet."