Army to slap show cause notices on 4 Generals in land scam

The Army today decided to slap show cause notices on four of its senior officers, including Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, for their alleged involvement in a land scam at a military station in Darjeeling.

The Army today decided to slap show cause notices on four of its senior officers, including Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, for their alleged involvement in a land scam at a military station in Darjeeling.

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A decision on possible further action would depend on the replies to the show cause notices, top army officials said.

Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor issued the directions in this regard to Adjutant General Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal this evening, top Army officials said here.

Lt Gen Prakash, who retires on January 31, will get 30 days to reply to the show cause notice.

However, under Army law, Lt Gen Prakash will be liable to any punishment, disciplinary action or administrative action up to three years after his retirement.

"Only after the replies are received by the Army headquarters would a decision on whether administrative or disciplinary action should be taken in the case be arrived at," the officials said.

Lt Gen Prakash, along with Lt Gen P K Rath, Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali and Maj Gen P Sen were found "culpable" by an Army probe in the sale of a 70-acre land to a private realtor on the basis of a No Objection Certificate issued by the Sukna military station.

The sale became an issue after it came to light that the private realtor had falsely represented that he would open an affiliate of Ajmer-based Mayo College on the land in Darjeeling.