Army Chief, General V K Singh has won Round I with the Supreme Court declaring that the decision making process to determine the General’s date of birth was vitiated and instructing the government should consider withdrawal of its December 30, 2011, order fixing the date of birth as May 10, 1950.

The crux of the court’s order is that the government sought legal opinion twice from the Attorney General – once before passing the July 21 and 22 orders fixing the date of birth and again before the 30 December order on the basis of Singh’s complaint. The question before the government is whether withdrawal of the order would amount to acceptance of the General’s point of view. This issue should not have been dragged to court. It should have been handled with a greater sense of discretion by both sides. There is something special about the men in uniform. Their willingness to die for the country gives them an aura of superiority. Hence, when a General makes the date of birth an issue, it reduces him to the level of a common bureaucrat. The case will have far reaching consequences on the armed forces and it would be in the best interest of the Army if it is decided sooner than later.