Severe reprimand for Brigadier in 2016 demonetisation scam

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, May 6

A General Court Martial (GCM) has acquitted a Brigadier on four charges in the demonetisation scam due to lack of evidence. The case relates to exchange of old currency notes worth Rs 6 lakh with legal tender at 1 Central Base Post Office (Delhi) in 2016.

He was, however, found guilty on the fifth charge and got “severe reprimand”.

Brigadier Suresh Gupta was then nodal officer of the Army Postal Service (APS) base circle monitoring cell at the Additional Director General APS Directorate. The four charges on which he has been acquitted are: Abetting the exchange of old currency notes; preparation of 5,944 forged forms with fake IDs from December 12, 2016, to January 10, 2017; pressuring Brigadier MK Khan, the then Director, Army Postal Service Headquarters, Western Command, for not submitting an investigation report into the scam; and improperly interfering in the internal functioning of the post office during demonetisation.

He was found guilty of allowing his son to have an unauthorised access to the treasury cash book (TCB) of 1 Central Base Post Office (CBPO), under Section 63 of the Army Act (for an act prejudicial to good order and military discipline). The GCM at the K-Area in Zirakpur (SAS Nagar) on May 5 awarded him “severe reprimand”. “None of the witnesses has ever stated that the alleged exchanged money was delivered to Brigadier Gupta. None of the witnesses stated or referred to his name in the context of the preparation of forged forms. The prosecution’s case was based on probabilities. The justice has been delivered in the case,” said advocates Rajesh Sehgal and Arun Singla, who represented Brigadier Gupta.