Commission for the Armed Forces: Readers Responses

Ref: SC wants commission for armed forces personnel
16 Nov 2010,
Dear Col Sharma ,
I am thrilled at the success that your efforts have resulted in , in bringing into being the Armed Forces Grievances Redressal Commission with even the first members having been nominated .
As a very senior veteran , Born 18 Sep 1919 ,commissioned on 5 Oct 1942 , retired on 17 oct 1968, I take the liberty of sending you and the members of your team , my blessings for continued success in all your laudable endeavours . I congratulate you and the members of your team as well my friend Brig Kamboj , for having given your success story the publicity it deserves
Yours sincerely ,
Col M S Krishnamoorthy (Retd) (Member IESM, One of the Founder Members of IESL)
Dear Chander,
Constitution of a commission is a good development, but it is just the first step.
The more important is the projection of services case before the Commission. A lot of facts and figures will have to be worked out, considering issues of early retirement, extremely limited promotions ( as a service imperative ) and the X factor.
All these will have to be translated into monetary terms and compensated. I presume a committee will be formed by the IESM, which must take help from all those who have been dealing with this issue.
I am presently in the U.S. and will return only in Feb, 2011 and as such can be of little assistance.
Anyway there is enough talent and skill available for the task.
With regards and best wishes.
Harwant. (Lt Gen Harwant Singh, Former DCOAS)

Dear Colonel Sharma,
As I see it, what you, RDOA and the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India have achieved by legal means is something revolutionary. By ordering a Commission to be formed (with threat of 'suo moto' formation, if the Executive remains unheeding), the Supreme Court has not only indicted the present Government for mis-governance and incompetence in Veteran affairs, but in a way, taken over governance .
Heartiest congratulations and our admiration for your achievement. This is what our various ESM organizations have long been trying so hard for. It should be interesting as a citizen, to see how "The Empire Strikes Back", as try they will ! Regrettably, our polity has a surplus of expediency, but a deficit of a sense of justice and a complete lack of grace.
With best wishes and regards to you and RDOA and good luck in your further endeavours.
Sincerely,
Rajendra Prakash,
Maj Gen (Retd).

ARMED FORCES GRIEVANCE COMMISSION.
Dear General Kadyan,
I think that ordering the formation of the Armed Forces Grievance Commission almost 'suo moto', could not have occurred, if particular segments of our polity had not been sensitised to OROP and other Veterans' issues. Mr Justice Katju even quotes Chanakya (favourite of General Satbir Singh) and the NDTV show, apart from medals-return and burning artificial limbs. This should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that it is the 'doings' of IESM alone, which have brought about this landmark (almost revolutionary) occurrence, with the judiciary virtually divesting (albeit for a good cause) the executive of its basic function of governance - all these years past, no one else has been able to move the Establishment one wee bit !
The credit for this must go to you and the IESM team - formulation of a practical strategy, its dogged implementation and the results achieved speak for themselves. (Some of us ' fossils' have not favoured your pro-active measures, but then times change and proof of the pudding is in eating !). Congratulations on what has been achieved in a short time of two years by IESM - everyone who should, now knows of OROP, of course with the invaluable and devoted contributions of Brigadier Kamboj and his "Report my Signal".
We have to see how "The Empire Strikes Back", which they surely will try to do. So does IESM continue the present form of OROP struggle, or divert all effort to achieve this through the Supreme Court mandated Commission ? The Commission, at least initially, should be effective, with Generals Malik and Oberoi there for first two years. By itself, the Establishment would never concede OROP; with their well-honed 'evasion & escape' tactics, they will still have a try-on. So some weighty considerations for IESM to ponder over soon!
With good wishes and best of luck,
Rajendra Prakash,
Dehradun.

This is a land mark judgement in favour of ESM. My congratulations to
Col Sharma and other ESM of RDOA who spared no efforts in successfully marshaling this case in Supreme Court.
S.Murugan

Services Commission Setup By The SC
Congratulations.
A great achievement by you all. You have done wonders by putting across your case so convincingly that the SC had no option but to order the setting up of this Commission to look into the long outstanding problems faced by ESM. It is more like a Blue Ribbon Commission usually setup in the US I feel that we should not squander this opportunity by overloading the Commission with divergent view points.
Now is the time for all ESM orgs to close ranks and put up a paper to it. Views which are peculiar to a service may be put up separately. Lets forge a common sword to cut thru decades of neglect of our problems by the Govt .
Congratulations once again.
Lt Gen SK Bahri (Retd) (1st JSW Course)

Dear Brig Kamboj,
Please refer to the mail below regarding the Honourable Supreme Court Directions for forming Armed Forces Grievances Redressal Commission.
The mere fact that Commission can only make recommendations, I am sceptical. Even in drafting this order a whole lot of inspiring sentences have been framed, giving a feeling to the reader that some thing good will finally happen, but when one reaches the stage of Charter, scepticism is bound to creep in the way the Government of India has treated the Defence Forces till now.
My apologies for blunt comments. It is called Grievances Redressal Commission but its mandate is only to make recommendations!!!!!!. What authority do they have to redress the grievances? How will the redressal be actually given fast and in good time?
With warmest regards,
Major General Balbir K Kataria (Veteran), VSM

Supreme Court Directive
Dear Colonel Sharma,
I wish to express my profound gratitude to you and your colleagues for having fought the issue for redressing of the grievances of serving and retired community of Armed Forces Officers before to highest judicial forum and for having precipitated a landmark judgement.
Really there are no words to thank you and your colleagues. you really have done a great service to our Services community.
Very warm regards,
Brig J L Kaul ( Veteran

Dear Colonel sahib,
Congratulations on your success in forcing the govt. to form a separate commission to look into the grievances of veterans, in a matter where the Babus have been shown their place by not making the body predominantly Babucentric, for the first time. By this you have made history and shown that Babus can be fought and floored too. We all appreciate your selfless efforts on behalf of the entire veteran community.
It is good to know that the SC refused to reconsider the Rank Pay case, yet the Babus have succeeded in playing dirty again by making the SC refer the Rank Pay case to another bench, which will delay the decision further and make your task more difficult.
May God give you and your organisation more and more strength for performing such selfless work.
Shashank Bendre
Wg.Cdr. (Retd)

Dear Sirs:
This is one of the best news pertaining to the Defence fraternity heard in years. Our profound thanks and gratitude to Lt Col BK Sharma, President Retired Defence Officers Association and his team of dedicated colleagues for this crowning victory worthy of soldiers. They all deserve a standing ovation. A wonderful performance, Lt Col Sharma--you have done more than your bit!
There is a lesson here... let's remain united and focused. Also that no one is too small--or too big--for undertaking a noble cause in the service of the nation. What indeed is needed is the spirit/craze/obsession/even mania, call it what you will---" ... that man is freed from servile bands/Of hope to rise or fear to fall ... "
THREE RESOUNDING CHEERS FOR LT COL SHARMA AND HIS ASSOCIATES!!!
Warm regards--and thank you all.
Wg Cdr SC Kapoor, Veteran