Date:19/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/19/stories/2004121906770800.htm

National

Board begins review of IAF promotions

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 18. A special promotion board headed by the Chief of the Air Staff, S. Krishnaswamy, is reconsidering the promotion of 15 senior officers following a Supreme Court directive. Official IAF sources said the board is likely to conclude its deliberations next week. "It will take three or four sittings. The board sat down to consider the promotions this week," he said.

The IAF has never faced such a situation before. The four promoted Air Marshals hold crucial posts. A.D. Joshi is chief of the Eastern Air Command, J.S. Gujral is the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, F.H. Major is the Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff and A.K. Singh holds a high post in the crucial Western Air Command.

Two Air Vice-Marshals, Harish Masand [now retired] and T.S. Chhatwal, had challenged the IAF's special promotion board in February 2003, contending that its recommendations were based on a flawed promotion policy. The reassessment would be done on the basis of a new promotion policy in which the weightage for discretionary marks was less and that for career record higher.