JCOs are gazetted officers, says Army

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

In a move that will benefit over 64,000 personnel, the Army has corrected a self-created anomaly and has now said that junior commissioned officers (JCOs) are gazetted officers, cancelling its earlier reply under the Right to Information Act that described JCOs as “non-gazetted” officers.

As per government orders, JCOs were always “Group-B” gazetted officers, however, confusing replies under the RTI Act created the problem. The JCOs are promoted from among the jawans and hold an important position in each battalion of the Army. The move will also benefit similarly ranked officials in the Navy and the Air Force.

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The decision comes after resentment grew among a large section of Army personnel over issues relating to rank parity. In an official note, the Army headquarters has cancelled a communication issued in response to an RTI plea in 2011 terming JCOs non-gazetted officers.

The Army Act, 1950, accorded status of Group-B equivalent gazetted officers and the section 151 of Defence Service Regulations 1987 states that JCOs are granted commission by the President. The Army committed a “major mistake” in 2011 while replying to an RTI application on the status of the JCOs. Someone just overlooked government notifications.

The clarification will benefit over 64,000 JCOs who are ranked in three categories —Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major. In July, 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, a grade lower than what is mandated. 

The identity cards are colour coded — green for Maj Generals and above, yellow for Group A, blue for Group B and grey for Group C. Asked how the Army headquarters made the “mistake” in 2011, classifying JCOs as non-gazetted officers, a senior Army official said there were separate definitions of officers in the manual of military law and it could have been a case of misinterpretation of the rule book. 

The issue of rank parity between military officers and their civilian counterparts was discussed at the recently concluded Army Commanders’ Conference. The Ministry of Defence is studying the matter in detail.

Defence Ministry sources last week said it was seriously examining the long-standing issue relating to rank parity between military officers and their civilian counterparts.