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The dismissal means that he will not get any benefits like pension and will not be entitled to use Army rank or any privilege attached with military service.
Prakash
is the senior-most officer to have been awarded this punishment by the
Army. The Army Chief confirmed the sentence awarded to the former
Military Secretary by a General Court Martial (GCM) in December last
year.
The
decision was taken by Gen V K Singh on May 21, ten days before his
retirement from service, sources told a news agency in New Delhi.
Commenting
on the development, Prakash said, "I am considering various options
available under the service rules and legal remedies to protest against
the decision taken by the Army Chief."
In recent interviews, the Army Chief has also blamed the former Military Secretary for raking up the age issue by filing RTIs.
Prakash
was held guilty of misusing his position under Section 45 (conduct
unbecoming of his position as an officer) and Section 52 (intent to
defraud) of the Army Act by the General Court Martial at 51 sub-area of
the Army station at Narengi in Guwahati.
The
court martial was conducted after Prakash was indicted by an Army court
of inquiry in 2010 for his role in the illegal transfer of 71 acres of
land adjacent to the Sukna military station near Siliguri in West Bengal
to a private realtor for constructing an educational institution in
2008.
He
is the third Lt Gen rank officer to have been punished in a
corruption-related case. Lt Gen S K Sahni was cashiered from service for
his role in the ration scam and Lt Gen P K Rath was given a punishment
in the Sukna case earlier.
While
Prakash and Sahni were punished after their retirement, Rath was
serving when he was indicted. The officer has now retired.
The
Sukna land scam dates back to 2008 when the alleged move to transfer
the land in Siliguri to a private educational trust came out in the
open, leading to the Army initiating disciplinary proceedings against
senior Army officials, including Prakash and Rath.
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