Vice admiral Bimal Verma withdraws plea challenging Karambir Singh’s appointment as navy chief

He had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal challenging the appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next navy chief

Vice Admiral Bimal Verma has withdrawn his petition challenging his supersession for the post of Navy chief after the Armed Forces Tribunal asked him to first approach the Ministry of Defence for redressal of his grievance.

Vice Admiral Bimal Verma has withdrawn his petition challenging his supersession for the post of Navy chief (HT)

As per rules, Vice Admiral Verma had the option of filing a statutory complaint with the Defence Minister before taking the legal recourse.

He had approached the tribunal challenging the appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next navy chief replacing Admiral Sunil Lanba.

He can approach the court if he is not satisfied with the way his complaint is addressed by the Defence Ministry.

The court asked the petitioner why the option of approaching the Ministry was not availed. When the counsel said they were of the view that it was outside their purview, the court gave benefit of doubt and allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea.