MoD at it again: JCOs ‘not gazetted officers’

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 25

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has yet again said that Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) of the armed forces are “not gazetted officers”, hence do not merit such a status while being posted in New Delhi-based Army headquarters.

The ministry’s letter saying that “JCOs are not covered under the definition of officer” has come despite the Army Act 1950 according status of Group-B equivalent gazetted officers to the JCOs. Section 151 of Defence Service Regulations 1987 states that JCOs are granted commission by the President.

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Furthering its argument, the ministry has opted to cite a reply under the Right to Information Act given by the Adjutant General Branch of the Army. All this without keeping in mind that the RTI reply by the AG was itself cancelled through an Army order.

The Tribune had reported this cancellation of the RTI reply on November 3, 2017. The RTI reply that described JCOs as “non-gazetted” officers was cancelled and the Army corrected a self-created anomaly.

As per government orders, JCOs were always “Group B” gazetted officers.

There are around 64,000 personnel of JCO rank or equivalent in the Air Force and the Navy. The JCOs are promoted from among the jawans and hold an important position in each battalion of the Army.

In January, the issue relating to rank parity — wrong equation of forces with civilian staff — was settled after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman corrected the anomaly. The Tribune reported it on January 6. The MoD had said: “The letter dated October 18, 2016, on equivalence between armed forces’ officers and Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services officers is withdrawn.” 

The matter of JCOs getting their status was not linked to this. In July last year, the Army wrote to the MoD, saying JCOs are accorded gazetted status as per an Act of Parliament, however, when posted at South Block in New Delhi, a JCO is issued an identity card equating him with a Group-C employee. The I-cards are colour coded — green for Maj Gen and above, yellow for Group A, blue for Group B and grey for Group C.