New Delhi, December 21
Major Surinder Singh, a Gorkha Rifles officer, accused of fake encounters in Siachen glacier, was today dismissed from service and sentenced by an Army court martial to undergo three years rigorous imprisonment.

An Army spokesperson said here that Major Surinder Singh was sentenced after the court found him “guilty of all charges” after the court martial proceedings. The sentence was handed out by the court in Jodhpur today.

“Major Surinder Singh has been found guilty of all charges by the General Court Martial and is cashiered from the Army and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years”, the court said.

Major Surinder Singh, already under suspension, was being tried for faking encounters during his battalion’s forward deployment tenure in the glacier in August-September last year. The Major had filmed the fake encounters to buttress his claims to bravery awards and favourable mention by higher formation commanders.

This is the third instance of the Army handing out hard sentences to errant officers involved in cases of indiscipline. Earlier, a senior Colonel was dismissed from service on charges of faking encounters in north-east and a Brigadier hauled up for selling canteen liquor to private parties.

JODHPUR: Major Surinder Singh, who was dismissed by an Army court today after being found guilty of faking encounters in Siachen, said he would move the High court or the Supreme Court against the order.

“As far as the rigorous imprisonment is concerned, I will go to the High Court” he said adding that “if required, I will not hesitate to even move the Supreme Court.”

Reacting to the Army court’s judgement, he said that he had firm belief in the law of the land. “I have full faith that the law of the country is not in such a bad shape like the Army,” he said.