Lt Gen Indicted in Land Scam
A serving Lieutenant General was on Tuesday indicted in a land scam in Darjeeling in West Bengal by an army court, said official.
A court of enquiry was formed to probe charges of subverting rules to give a no-objection certificate to an educational institution for opening its premises close to an army institution in Darjeeling. The court concluded on Saturday.
In the inquiry, it was found that Lt Gen Awadesh Prakash was ‘blameworthy’, said an official. No further details of the findings of the report are known yet.
Lt Gen Prakash is currently posted as Military Secretary at the army headquarters in Delhi
It should be noted that appointment of Lt Gen PK Rath as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff was earlier cancelled following his name cropped in the land scam.
Defence Minister AK Antony had ordered an investigation into the land scam charges and pointed out several times that even top brass of the Army would not be spared if the charges against them were proved.
A no objection certificate is mandatory for sale of land adjacent to military stations due to security reasons.
The Army inquiry would also look into documents relating to the NOC being forged and the original documents rejecting the NOC being replaced with forged papers in the Army records.
A preliminary Army probe had revealed that the institution had no connection with Mayo College, the premise under which the NOC was issued.
