M A I N   N E W S

Major Dimple Singla gets one-year RI
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 3
General court martial today sentenced Major Dimple Singla, former officer of the Judge Advocate General Department, to one year of rigorous imprisonment and cashiered her from service for professional impropriety. She is the first woman Army officer, against whom court martial proceedings were initiated. The courts verdict is subject to confirmation by the convening authority.

She was charged under Section 69 of the Army Act, read with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act; and under the Army Act Section 63 for acts prejudicial to court order and military discipline. She had allegedly abused her position as a public servant by accepting a sum of Rs 10,000 from the Defence Counsel in a court martial in which she was the Judge Advocate in November 2004.

She was also charged with improperly and without authority to negotiate engagement of the counsel for an accused in another court martial. She is alleged to have improperly visiting a Captain, who was a defending officer in the court martial and asked him not to divulge any intervention to the media with regard to her involvement in the same.

The court, presided over by Col Sanjeev Jose, relied on the evidence provided by prosecution witnesses to establish the charges against her.

The court observed that the depositions of the defence witnesses were inconsistent and unreliable. The trial had started in April 2007 and witnessed a series of lengthy adjournments.