CoI in land scam not over: Army

The Army on Tuesday said the Court of Inquiry in the Sukhna land scam in West Bengal was still not over and it will be "premature" to say whether any top officer has been indicted in the case.

The Army on Tuesday said the Court of Inquiry in the Sukhna land scam in West Bengal was still not over and it will be "premature" to say whether any top officer has been indicted in the case.

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"Certain media reports have appeared regarding ongoing CoI in Sukhna land issue of Eastern Command. Since the Court of Inquiry is still in progress and not finalised, therefore speculative comments or interferences at this stage about the guilt of an individual are not appropriate," Army PRO Colonel S Om Singh said in a statement.

Pointing out that such reports amount to character assassination of senior army officers, he said, "premature trials and verdicts by the responsible media should be avoided."

An Army CoI in Kolkata is probing allegations that some Generals and other senior officers had issued a No Objection Certificate to a private institution that bought the land adjacent to the Sukhna military station in Darjeeling a few years ago. The institution had allegedly falsely claimed to be an affiliate of famed Ajmer-based Mayo College.

An NoC is mandatory for sale of land adjacent to military stations due to security reasons.

Apart from the two senior officers -- Military Secretary Awadhesh Prakash and Lt Gen PK Rath, 11 Corps Commander Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali's name too figures in the case.