In a rare move, the government on Sunday announced extending Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande's tenure b൩y one month, days before his superannuation. Gen Pande was to retire from service on May 31.
The 🅷Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved one month's extension in service of Gen Pande🐈, the defence ministry said.
The extension to 🍌Gen Pande came nearly five decades after the then Indira Gandhi-led government extended the tenure of Army Chief Gen G G Bewoor by one year in April 1974. Gen Bewoor retired on May 31, 1975.
In view of extension gi🃏ven to Gen Bewoor, the next in line Lt Gen Prem Bhagat, known to be a fine military officer, retired from service without becoming the Army Chief, according to military experts.
Before Gen Bewoor, Field Marshaಞl Sam Manekshaw was given an extension in view of the victory in the 1971 war.
"The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Manoj C Pande for a period of one month, b🐲eyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31) that is up to June 30 under Rule 16 A (4) of the Ar🔯my Rules 1954," the defence ministry said.
Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, currently serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, is the senior-most official after Gen🌌 Pande.
The senior most official after Lt Gen Dwivedi is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar 𓂃Singh, the Southern Army Commander.
Interestingly, both Lt Gen Dwivedi and Lt Gen Singh,🐭 who are course mates, ♛are set to retire on June 30, the day the extension given to Gen Pande comes to an end.
However, 💝the government still will have the option of either appointing Lt Gen Dwivedi or Lt Gen Singh to the top post, going by the previous example of appointment of Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria as the IAF Chief on the day he was set to retire in September ♈2019.
It is learnt that Lt Gen Singh is a stro▨ng contender for the Army Chief's post.
Central Army Commander Lt Gen 🅰NS Raja Subramani could be the main contender if the new government looks beyond Lt Gen Dwivedi and Lt Gen Singh, said a source.
Lt Gen Dwivedi, who has vast operational experience along the frontiers with C🍷hina and Pakistan, assumed charge as Vice Chief i📖n February succeeding Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar.
Gen Pande took charge as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30, 2022 after Gen MM Naravaꩵne retired from service.
Before assuming 💛the charge of the top post, Gen Pande was serving as the Vice Chief.🐻 He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to helm the force.
In his distinguished career, Gen Pan🦩de also served as the Commander-in-Ch🍸ief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is India's only tri-services command.
An alumnus of the National Defence Aca💎demy, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers (The Bomb🐬ay Sappers) in December 1982.
