Samir kumar Rout

[M. Nageswara Rao IPS (Retired) @MNageswarRaoIPS]

To
Sri Rajnath Singh
Union Minister for Defence
South Block, New Delhi

Subject: Regarding court-martialing of Army Officer concerned & Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat

Sir,
1. An incident involving an Army Officer and his fiancée had taken place on 15th instant in Bharatpur Police Station area in Bhubaneswar. It has received wide publicity, and you may have already been briefed about it. Therefore, I do not repeat those details.

2. In the midnight of 15th instant an Army Officer and his fiancée allegedly indulged in drunken driving, got into a drunken brawl with some youth and then went to Bharatpur Police Station, misbehaved and threatened the police officers, and created ruckus there. The State authorities have promptly acted by suspending 5 police officers, entrusting investigation of cases to the CID-Crime Branch, and constituting a Judicial Commission of Inquiry headed by a Retired Judge of the Odisha High Court.

3. The Army Officer concerned has evidently committed serious offences under sections 45 and 48 of the Army Act 1950, apart from civil offences, which are extracted hereunder for your ready reference:

“45. Unbecoming conduct.—Any officer, junior commissioned officer or warrant officer who behaves in a manner unbecoming his position and the character expected of him shall, on conviction by court-martial, if he is an officer, be liable to be cashiered or to suffer such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned; and, if he is a junior commissioned officer or a warrant officer, be liable to be dismissed or to suffer such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned.”

“48. Intoxication.—
(1) Any person subject to this Act who is found in a state of intoxication, whether on duty or not, shall, on conviction by court-martial, if he is an officer, be liable to be cashiered or to suffer such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned ; and, if he is not an officer, be liable, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), to suffer imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned.
(2) Where an offence of being intoxicated is committed by a person other than an officer when not on active service or not on duty, the period of imprisonment awarded shall not exceed six months.”

4.1 In connection with the aforementioned incident, Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding & Colonel of the MECH INF REGT, Madhya Bharat Area, has addressed a letter dated 18.09.2024 to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, Cuttack. Prior to the said communication dated 18.09.2024, he had met the Hon’ble Chief Justice at his residence on 17.09.2024. The Hon’ble Odisha High Court took suo motu cognizance of the incident based on the said letter of General Shekhawat vide SUO MOTU W.P.(C) No. 23735 of 2024 and issued suitable directions to authorities concerned.

4.2 Like any Army Officer, Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat is subjected to the rigours of the Army Act, 1950 and the rules, regulations and orders made thereunder.

4.3 The said letter dated 18.09.2024 of Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat is widely circulated👇in SM and MSM, which is an offence under section 21(c) of the Army Act, 1950.

4.4 Secondly, Military officers making courtesy calls on civil and judicial authorities is one thing, but their taking up of contentious issues with the latter bypassing the Ministry of Defence and Central Government is entirely different thing, and the latter is forbidden. Therefore, the conduct of Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat directly taking up the matter with Hon’ble Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, bypassing proper channels namely the Army Headquarters and Ministry of Defence, is unbecoming on his part which is an offence under section 45 of the Army Act, 1950.

4.5 Sir, this is an extremely serious matter involving an extraordinary undisciplined conduct and breaking the chain of command by a very senior Army officer Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat by taking matters to into his hand bypassing the proper channels and Central Government. As you know, any slackening of civilian authority over the Armed Forces encourages Generals to go berserk and interfere in the civil administration to eventually overthrow democratically elected government. Sir, I am not being alarmist even a bit. The grave unbecoming conduct of Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat, if goes unpunished, would encourage other Generals who may be itching to grab power a la Generals in our neighbourhood. As the elected leaders in Pakistan and Bangladesh failed to nip the undisciplined and overawing conduct of their Generals in the bud stage, those countries have been to paying heavy price of losing democracy altogether. Eternal vigilance is the price of democracy.

5. It is, therefore, requested that the Central Government may immediately constitute a General Court-Martial or a Summary General Court-Martial in exercise of powers conferred on them by sections 109 and 11 of the Army Act, 1950 respectively to try and punish the delinquent:
(i) Army Officer involved in the incident in Bhubaneswar on 15-9-2024 for offences under sections 45, 48 and other relevant provisions of the Army Act, 1950, etc; and
(ii) Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat for offences under sections 21(c), 45 and other relevant provisions of the Army Act, 1950, etc.

Regards

M. Nageswara Rao, IPS (Retired)
Former Director, CBI
CC @adgpi
@rajnathsingh
@RajnathSingh_in

[Arunabh Mohanty ।। 🇮🇳 ।। @arunabh_m]

ଭରତପୁର ଥାନାକୁ ଅଭିଯୋଗ କରିବା ପାଇଁ ଆସିଥିବା Major ଆଉ ତାଙ୍କ ବାନ୍ଧବୀ ଙ୍କ local ଲୋକଙ୍କ ସହିତ ପୂର୍ବରୁ ଗଣ୍ଡଗୋଳ ହୋଇଥିବା ଏହି ଦୃଶ୍ୟ କୁ ଟିକେ ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ I ଘଟଣାଟି ଏବେ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଭିନ୍ନ ଦିଗ ଆଡ଼କୁ ଯାଉଥିବା ସ୍ପଷ୍ଟ ଦେଖାଯାଉଛି I #BharatpurPolice #bhubaneswar #OdishaPolice

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@MuskUniverseUsa 3452839

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@IamKalpita95 @MilletsOdisha @NiharikaDash14 @arvindpadhee @SilonaSai Superb

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@nitin_gadkari @narendramodi Happy Birthday Nitin ji

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@Aadhaar_Care @PMOIndia Sir my Update Request Number is 29830820641012 06-03-2023 14:55:08

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@TheKangna Lingaraj mandir Bhubaneswar

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@AnkitaS46757321 Beautiful

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

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[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@SRC_Odisha sir please clarify this letter is authentic or not

[Subrat Tripathy @TripathySubrat]

#RSSVijayaDashami inculcating national spirit among all the Bharatiyas is the soul aim of #RSS which focuses on national building through man making . This has been going on since 1925 .

[Debiprasad Mahapatra @Debi_Prasad_M]

“केवल भूमि के किसी टुकड़े को तो राष्ट्र नहीं कहते | एक विचार, एक आचार, एक सभ्यता, एक परम्परा से जो लोग पुरातन काल से चले आये हैं, उन्हीं लोगों से राष्ट्र बनता है| इस देश को हमारे ही कारण हिन्दुस्थान नाम दिया गया है |” – डॉ. केशव बलिराम हेडगेवार #RSSVijayaDashami

[Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal @bibhutisameer]

If the British Government is conspiring to arrest me and people like me in the name of treason, then the British Government should also understand that the time has come for them to cover their bags and leave this country. – Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar #RSSVijayaDashami

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

ପରମ ପୂଜନୀୟ ଡକ୍ଟରଜୀ କହିଛନ୍ତି- ହିନ୍ଦୁ ସଂସ୍କୃତି ର ରକ୍ଷା ପାଇଁ ଆମେ ଯେଉଁ ବଳଶାଳୀ ସଙ୍ଗଠନ ତିଆରି କରିବା,ତାହାର ତାତ୍ପର୍ଯ୍ୟ କେବଳ ସଂଖ୍ୟା ବଢ଼େଇବା ନୁହେଁ ବରଂ ସମାଜର ଲୋକମାନଙ୍କ ଆତ୍ମବିଶ୍ୱାସ ବଢାଇବା।#RSSVijayaDashami

[Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal @bibhutisameer]

If a swayamsevak feels that he does a lot of work,that is why he is superior to others and he has the right to consider people as junior or renounceable, then I want to tell him clearly that the feeling of such pretense is in his mind, do not approve. #RSSVijayaDashami

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@KanganaTeam Beautiful looking didi

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[Advocate Shibananda🇮🇳 @ShibanandaDalei]

ଗୋଟିଏ ଆଡ଼େ ଖୁସିର ଲହରୀ ଆଉ ଗୋଟିଏ ଆଡ଼େ #ନ୍ୟାୟ_ପାଇଁ_କାନ୍ଦୁଛି_ମା।ସେହି ସହରରେ ଯେଉଁଠି ଶ୍ରଧେୟ @PandaJay
@AnubhavMohanty_ ମହୋଦୟ ଲୋକସଭା ପଦପାଇଁ ନିର୍ବାଚନ ଲଢୁଥିଲେ।
@otvkhabar @GovernorOdisha @odisha_police
ଆଶା ଓ ବିଶ୍ୱାସ ସେହି ମା ର ଦୁଃଖ ଆଉ ଆଖିର ଅଶ୍ରୁ ଝରିବା ବନ୍ଦ ହେବ।@CMO_Odisha
@litisha_mangat

[Samir kumar Rout @samir92rout]

@kanak_news @theargus_in Sudhanshu Behera Age-20 At-Rajagarh Rajnagar kendrapara murdered 12 September 7pm. Police has no action against murderers .Sir I request please telecast and justice for poor family of sudhanshu.