Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (From L), General Ajay Kumar Singh & Lieutenant General Dwivedi

New Delhi: In a rare move, the central government on May 26 extended the tenure of Army Chief General Manoj Pande for a period of one month, just days before his scheduled superannuation. General Pande was to retire from service on May 31 after a 25-month tenure.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved one month's extension in service of Gen Pande. "The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj C Pande for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31), i.e. up to June 30, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Indira Gandhi-Led Govt Extended Tenure of Army Chief

The extension granted to General Pande marks the first such decision in nearly five decades since the Indira Gandhi-led government extended the tenure of Army Chief General G G Bewoor by one year in April 1974. General Bewoor retired on May 31, 1975.

Due to the extension given to General Bewoor, the next in line, Lieutenant General Prem Bhagat, an esteemed military officer, retired without ever becoming the Army Chief, according to military experts. Prior to General Bewoor, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw received an extension following the victory in the 1971 war.

Who Are Other Contenders For Position of Army Chief?

Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, currently serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, is the senior-most official following General Pande. The next in line after Lieutenant General Dwivedi is Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh, the Southern Army Commander.

Interestingly, both Lieutenant General Dwivedi and Lieutenant General Singh, who are course mates, are scheduled to retire on June 30, the same day the extension granted to General Pande comes to an end.

The government retains the option to appoint either Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi or Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh to the top post, following the precedent set by the appointment of Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria as the IAF Chief on the day he was due to retire in September 2019.

It is learnt that Lieutenant General Singh is a strong contender for the position of Army Chief.

Central Army Commander Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani could be the main contender if the new government looks beyond Lt Gen Dwivedi and Lt Gen Singh, said a source.

Lieutenant General Dwivedi, who has extensive operational experience along the frontiers with China and Pakistan, took over as Vice Chief in February, succeeding Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar.

Who Is General Manoj Pande?

General Manoj Pande assumed the role of the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30, 2022, following the retirement of General MM Naravane. Prior to this appointment, General Pande served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

He is notable for being the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to lead the Indian Army.

During his distinguished career, General Pande also held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is India's only tri-services command.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, General Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982.

Owaisi Attacks Modi Govt Over Extension

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi attacked the Narendra Modi government over the extension of the tenure of Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande, saying the move in the midst of elections is not desirable.

The Hyderabad MP said, “The extension (of) tenure of the serving army chief #COAS during the election campaign, days before he was to retire, is not desirable. The @narendramodi government was well aware of his date of retirement and should have announced a replacement long ago.”

“Our armed forces should be kept out of politics by the ruling party but over the last decade, we have seen the Modi regime use and misuse our soldiers for its electoral benefit. We have seen this on the China border where our soldiers are unable to patrol to the LAC,” the AIMIM chief said.

He claimed this latest move on General Pande again reflects “poorly” on PM Modi, the defence minister and all those involved in decision making on India’s national security.

“That the extension given to Gen Pande is only for one month means it is a temporary measure, essentially showing the complete lack of governance in this regime. If it is not incompetence, then it has to be something more sinister and conspiratorial,” Owaisi alleged.