India army chief sues government over retirement

Jan 16, 2012, 18:19 GMT

New Delhi - Indian army chief General VK Singh on Monday took the government to court in a dispute over his age, media reported.

Singh petitioned the Supreme Court contending that his birth records prove he was born in 1951, and he was therefore not due to retire until April 2013, IANS news agency reported.

But the Defence Ministry says records in its possession show that he was born in 1950 and so is to retire this year, at the age of 62.

It is the first time that a serving chief of the Indian military has invoked the country's highest court against the government, the NDTV network reported.

Singh, who became army chief in 2010, said the real issue was a matter of 'integrity and honour,' and not his tenure.

The government said that, while it had no doubts about Singh's integrity, its documents do not support his claim.

'Nobody should believe that the General has not spoken the truth,' Law Minister Salman Khurshid said last week. But 'rules are rules,' he added.

The controversy surrounding Singh's date of birth was likely to impact plans for Singh's succession at the head of the world's second largest army, with 1.13 million members, media reported.