Bangalore November 22
This is one alliance between a Sri Lankan and member of the Indian armed forces that parties in Tamil Nadu would not take exception to. Armed with an order from the Karnataka High Court, Major Vikas Kumar, an officer with the Corps of Signals, is all set to marry his Sinhalese ladylove Arnila Ranamali Gunaratne, who is pursuing her MPhil degree in Bangalore.

A division bench has dismissed two writ petitions by the Ministry of Defence challenging a decision of the single bench which had earlier ruled in favour of the smitten Army officer.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen also imposed a cost of Rs 75,000 and directed the Army to pay the amount to Kumar, 35, a Bangalorean, and his girlfriend.

The bench observed that the cost was imposed because the Army preferred “a second round of petition unnecessarily, in an obdurate manner without any cogent ground”.

“The world has become a global village. Distrust and discrimination against a foreign citizen remain the order of the day. There are several instances where citizens betray their own country. There is no empirical data that a foreign spouse will invariably constitute a weak link in the matter of national security”, the bench observed.

Vikas Kumar, who joined the Army in 2000, is at present posted in the northeastern part of the country.

On June 29, 2011, Kumar filed an application with the Army seeking release from the service, saying he wanted to marry a foreign national who was not willing to give up her nationality.

Army rules don’t permit personnel to marry those who do not want to give up their foreign citizenships.

Army had said no

* In June last year, Major Vikas Kumar sought release from the service, saying he wanted to marry a foreign national.

* Army rules don’t permit personnel to marry those who do not want to give up their foreign citizenships.

* However, the Army did not accept Kumar’s resignation saying he had not completed the mandatory period service.