Government asks AG branch to correct Gen Singh's DoB

New Delhi, Jan 29 (ANI): In a letter written to the Adjutant General's (AG) branch of the Army, the Defence Ministry has asked the branch to correct their record and show the year of birth of Army chief General V K Singh as 1950 and not 1951, as claimed by him.

According to sources, the letter was issued to the AG's branch a week ago to correct its record and show May 10, 1950 as Gen Singh's date of birth.

The AG's branch, which is the official record keeper in the service, has maintained Gen Singh's date of birth as May 10, 1951, although the Military Secretary's branch records it as May 10, 1950.

The move appears to be to reconcile the two dates in Army records prior to the hearing in the Supreme Court on February 3 regarding the issue.

Singh had moved the Supreme Court on January 16 after his statutory complaint on December 30 last year, challenging the government's stand on his date of birth, was rejected.

The controversy stemmed from different sets of records in the Adjutant General and Military Secretary branches of the Indian Army Headquarters.

While the Adjutant General's branch that deals with pay, perks and pensions maintains 1951 as his year of birth, the Military Secretary branch that deals with appointments and promotions has 1950 in its records.

According to reports, General Singh has been conveyed that that he will have to retire from service on May 31, 2012 on completion of his two-year tenure.

General Singh, who has consistently claimed that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 as maintained, had in his statutory complaint asked the Defence Ministry to consider May 10, 1951 as his date of birth.

The Army Chief had earlier filed the statutory complaint with Defence Minister A. K. Antony after the government issued an order on July 21 in which it said that it will consider May 10, 1950 as his date of birth. (ANI)