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Selection of Army Chief
Introduction
With the announcement of Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, present Vice Chief of Army Staff to be the next Army
Chief there has been lot of discussions on this issue as the traditional method of seniority has not been
followed by the present Government. Two other General Officer Commanding of Eastern and Southern
Commands are senior to Lt Gen Bipin Rawat.
It is still not clear whether Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) or Permanent Chief of Chiefs of Staff
Committee (COSC) will be appointed and who will get posted there. The Government has not come out
anything on this yet. Probably the issue will get clearer after some more time. Ask any professional
soldier, what does he want to become, Army Chief or Permanent Chairman Chief of staff committee.
Similarly Army Commander or The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff
Committee (CISC) at HQ Integrated Defence Staff . The answer is simple. If, and there is a very big if as
nothing officially has come out, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi is made Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff
Committee option should have been given to him for becoming Army Chief or Permanent Chairman
COSC.
This announcement has created a storm in TV and print media. More importantly Social Media is agog
with all sorts of comments and remarks. Regrettably large number of retired service officers have joined
the fray sometimes with uncharitable remarks which is avoidable. But this is bound to happen when the
Government does not come out with a statement for the reason of this appointment at variance with
standard practice. Selective leaks by Ministry of Defence (MoD) add confusion. The statements by MoD
officials on condition of anonymity must be stopped. The issue coming out of this controversy must be
analysed and corrective action taken.
Historical Perspective
It was different era. Lt General Thakur Nathu Singh, a maverick, was offered the post of first Army Chief
ahead of Gen (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa by the Defence Minister Sarder Balder Singh. Lt Gen
Thakur Nathu Singh declined the offer saying Gen Cariappa was senior and he deserved the post. This
did not deter Kipper Cariappa to issue show cause notice to his Army Commander when he thought
Thakur Nathu Singh was not right! These were different times. Ethics and Values seem to have changed.
A copy of the letter dated 22 Nov, 1946, from Sardar Baldev Singh, addressed to Nathu Singh is given as
Appendix.
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Prerogative of the Government
There is absolutely no doubt, that the selection and appointment of Army Chief is the prerogative of the
Government. The Government has to decide who is best suited for the job. However, due to some very
valid reasons seniority is a very important criterion for selection. There are only very few cases where
this seniority condition was overruled. It is also the same in judicial system. One of the very few case
where seniority was overlooked when A N Roy was appointed as Chief Justice of India. The reasons and
its effects are well known. There are rules and there are conventions or traditions. Though the rules are
there but when you break a well established tradition in the selection of a very sensitive and critical post
of Army Chief there has to be some sound well grounded reasons to do that.
In other countries also, the same procedure is followed. It is the Government of the day which appoints
the top post. The most powerful Secretary of Defence after Robert McNamara, Donald Rumsfeld in 2003
appointed Gen Peter J. Schoomaker, who retired from the US Army in 2000. Rumsfeld had ongoing
. Courtesy Maj Gen V K Singh (Retd)
