Chandigarh, September 7
A Lieutenant Colonel, posted in the recruiting directorate at the Army Headquarters, is being tried by a general court martial for allegedly accepting a bribe to ensure an engineering graduate’s selection in the Army as an officer.

Sources revealed that the accused, Lieut Col Pramod Kumar, had allegedly taken Rs 1.5 lakh from the candidate, from Rajasthan, to ensure his name figured on the merit list for the Officers Training Academy. He is facing two charges under Sections 69 and 63 of the Army Act for accepting illegal gratification and for improper possession of official documents.

The GCM, convened on the orders of the General Officer Commanding (Delhi Area), is scheduled to commence on September 11.

According to the allegations against him, the accused had sent a person to the candidate’s home with a message that he should meet him in Jaipur. There he had allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakh

Candidate’s father K.S. Rathore, however, reported the matter to the Army authorities before meeting the officer and a trap was laid by the military intelligence and the military police, sources said. A Major posed as a candidate’s relative and allegedly handed over the money to the accused in a moving car. The decoy relative was handed over the joining instructions at the same time after which he snatched the car keys and signaled to a waiting team.

The court of inquiry has apparently held him blameworthy. The accused, on the other hand, has denied demanding or accepting any money. The sources said he had maintained that preparation of the merit list of candidates for the OTA was done by a board of officers and he could not manipulate it.

He said he had merely given a lift to the relative and was being implicated in the case. The chemically treated currency notes, purportedly recovered from his car, were planted there and his hand did not change colour when dipped in water. He also contended that he was on leave when the merit list was being finalised.