The central government has given a one-month extension to Army Chief General Manoj Pandey. General Pandey was to retire on May 31, however, he will now remain in this post till June 30. But the question is, is this the first time that an Army Chief has been extended in this manner? Or does the extension of Army Chief keep happening in India? Today we will tell you about it.
Extension of Army Chief
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved a one-month extension of General Pandey’s service. According to the Defense Ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has given a one-month extension to Army Chief General Manoj C Pandey under Rule 16A (4) of the Army Rules 1954, which is beyond his retirement date of May 31 to June 30.
When did this happen before?
Important step amid Lok Sabha elections
Voting is being held for the Lok Sabha elections in the country. So far, voting has been done for 6 phases and voting for the last 7th phase is yet to be held. Amid the Lok Sabha elections, this step of the central government is being considered very important. General Pandey was going to retire on 31 May, however, now he will remain on this post till 30 June.
Who is senior after General Pandey?
According to the information, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, who is currently serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, is the most senior officer after General Pandey. At the same time, the most senior officer after Lieutenant General Dwivedi is Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh, who is the Southern Army Commander. Let us tell you that both the military officers – Lieutenant General Dwivedi and Lieutenant General Singh – passed out from NDA together in 1984. At the same time, according to experts, General Dwivedi is a big contender for this post. However, it is completely the discretion of the government to decide whom to make the Army Chief. It is worth noting that after the retirement of General MM Naravane, General Pandey took over as the 29th Chief of the Army on 30 April 2022. Let us tell you that General Pandey joined the ‘Corps of Engineers’ (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982. He is the first officer from the ‘Corps of Engineers’ to take command of the force.
