Can’t be booked for ops, Army tells SC

New Delhi, April 20

Operations against militants or insurgents may be affected if FIRs are lodged against the Army, the Supreme Court was told today.

The Army also told the SC  it could not be subjected to FIRs for carrying out anti-militancy operations in insurgency-prone areas such as J&K and Manipur, while alleging local bias in the judicial inquiries conducted against it in these regions, which have tarnished its image.

“Judicial inquiries which are biased due to local considerations have tarnished the image of Army. Military operations cannot be dissected in a particular way. Army cannot be subjected to FIR otherwise military operations cannot be carried out,” Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench of Justices MB Lokur and UU Lalit. Rohatgi, appearing for the Army and the Assam Rifles, said it could not be subjected to investigation by the state police with regard to its operations against militants in strife-torn areas. 

“Whether it’s J&K or Manipur, we are facing the same local bias. These inquiries (have) never said that Army did the correct thing. The Army is facing problems due to bias in such inquiries,” he said. “In every military operation, Army cannot be disbelieved. Every judicial inquiry cannot be against the Army,” he said. — PTI