Navy chief had quit last year

Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash had resigned following the infamous naval war room leak case, but his resignation was rejected by the government, sources say.

Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash had resigned following the infamous naval war room leak case, but his resignation was rejected by the government, sources say.

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Immediately after the leak was detected by the intelligence agencies in May 2005, Admiral Prakash had met Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and handed over his resignation since a suspect was related to him. Mukherjee, however, consulted with the Prime Minister and decided not to accept the resignation on the basis of feedback given to him by the intelligence agencies, the sources added.

The case had created a sensation as the name of Ravi Shankaran, a nephew of Prakash's wife, figured as one of the suspects. The Defence Ministry handed over the case to the CBI which arrested five persons including senior naval officers and conducted raids in Mumbai and other places. Investigations into the case are still on.

When asked about the case on Saturday, Prakash said: "If responsibility has to be fixed on anyone, he has to be the man on top. And I have always accepted the responsibility."

"There were some drawbacks in the system and we have tried to correct them. The episode was an outcome of weakness of a few individuals in the force," he said while talking to media, on board INS Viraat. He said the inquiry was on and if necessary, the guilty would be court-marshalled.