Jammu, April 17 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the High Court has dismissed a writ petition of an Indian Army Officer, Lieutenant Colonel G.S. Cheema, who was sentenced to four-year’s rigorous imprisonment by a general court martial (GCM) on charges of corruption about ten years ago.

The case, which had involved 14 Army personnel, including three officers and five JCOs had revealed large-scale malpractices and irregularities at the Field Petroleum Depot (FPD), Leh. Two other officers, Lt-Col J.S. Dhillon and Capt T K Singal were also tried by separate GCMs.

The High Court had, at the time of taking up the petition in 1999, granted bail to the officer. Following the High Court’s recent order the bail now stands revoked. The officer had been apprehended from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and his trial by GCM had commenced in January 1999. The sentence, which included imprisonment, cashiering from service and forfeiture of all public money due to him, was confirmed by the Northern Army Commander in October 99. He had therefore moved court and the matter had gone up to the Indian Supreme Court.

The case had come to light after a court of inquiry was convened to probe the circumstances under which a jawan of Indian Army was found travelling in a civilian vehicle with Rs 4.64 lakh at Karu in occupied Kashmir in September 1996.

In his directions on the court of inquiry (CoI), the then GOC, 3 Infantry Division, Major-Gen P.K. Renjen, had commented that there was a total lack of supervision and command and control by officers at the FPD. Besides procedures being disregarded, the stocks were not checked physically during handing over or taking over.