A woman Colonel serving in the Army’s Western Command has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, challenging her recent posting orders. She has accused senior officers of tarnishing her character, damaging her military reputation, and even compromising her chastity in front of lower-ranking soldiers. The officer alleges that her posting to a Division Headquarters as an ‘additional officer’ was a deliberate attempt to prevent her from pursuing an FIR she had lodged in February. This FIR accuses three Brigadiers and a Lieutenant Colonel of various offenses including stalking, confinement, defamation, and sexual harassment.
The officer claims that she was posted out abruptly while on leave on May 27, right after the National Commission of Women took note of her complaint regarding the inaction of Army authorities, including the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Corps. She further alleges that she was assigned to a Division where there was no vacancy available for an officer of her rank.
In response to the officer’s petition, the government’s counsel argued that the transfer order was issued transparently and in accordance with the relevant rules. The court, however, instructed the officer to report to her new posting and then go on leave. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for July.
FIR and Court of Inquiry
In her FIR, the officer named four Army officers, including the Station Commander, the Chief Signal Officer, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of Western Command, and the officiating Commanding Officer of the Military Police Unit. The FIR was lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act 2013.
The FIR was filed subsequent to a Court of Inquiry initiated in August 2023 at the Corps Headquarters. The inquiry aimed to investigate a security lapse that led to a civilian trespassing into the cantonment. This incident prompted the officer to lodge an FIR with the local police.
Legal Proceedings and Response from Army
The four officers named in the officer’s FIR have approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, seeking to have the FIR quashed. In April, the court issued an ex-parte order stating that no coercive action should be taken against them for the time being.
The Army’s Western Command has declined to comment on the ongoing case, citing that it is sub-judice. They advised seeking information from the Army Headquarters’ Military Secretary’s branch, as officer postings are managed there.
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