New Delhi: A retired Lieutenant Colonel has been booked, on a complaint filed by the Army, for alleged misuse of uniform and social media directives, ThePrint has learnt.
Lieutenant Colonel Avishek Sinha retired last month (on 6 August) and was seen participating in a podcast on a social media platform the very next day, sources in the defence establishment said.
According to the rules, retired officers are not allowed to wear their uniform.
While the officer retired as a lieutenant colonel, he was seen wearing the uniform of a colonel (also called ‘full colonel’ colloquially), which is one rank higher, and he was thus not entitled to wear it even while in service, the sources said.
The FIR, the sources added, was lodged at the Ludhiana Police Station on 29 August, under IPC Section 140, which prohibits any individual who is not a soldier (also applicable for Air Force and Navy) from wearing the uniform of the Army (or equivalent services).
The retired officer also violated the provisions under Paragraph 666 of Regulations for the Army, 2010 (revised edition), the sources said.
In May, the Army’s Additional Directorate of Discipline and Vigilance had issued a letter warning former soldiers with punitive action in case of any departure from norms that tarnishes the image of the forces.
The advisory also called upon veterans to not misuse their uniform or accoutrements.
The Army had warned that this could result in the withholding or withdrawal of pension, besides possible registration of police cases.
On the issue of pension, the Army has cited the Regulations for the Army, 2008 (Part-I), Para 8, which states that “the competent authority may by an order in writing withhold or withdraw a pension or part thereof whether permanently or for a specified period, if the petitioner is convicted of a serious crime or is found guilty of grave misconduct”.
Furthermore, under Para 4 of the regulations, future good conduct is an implied condition for grant of pension allowance. Thus, the pension already granted can be withheld if the pensioner is found guilty by a competent authority of grave misconduct.
In this regard, the competent authority is AG (adjutant general), the note stated.
A source in the defence establishment said the action of filing an FIR against the retired officer shows that the Army will take stern action against veterans misusing social media platforms.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)