india

Updated: Apr 26, 2019 11:36 IST

The Armed Forces Tribunal on Thursday asked the government to address the statutory complaint filed by Vice Admiral Bimal Verma challenging the appointment of his junior officer, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, as the next navy chief in three weeks, two people familiar with the matter said.

Verma had on Tuesday moved the AFT for the second time after the government last month named Admiral Singh as the next navy chief. The defence ministry has been asked to take a decision on Verma’s complaint by May 15 and the AFT has listed the matter for May 20, said a person cited above.

Verma had petitioned the AFT against his supersession earlier too, but was asked to withdraw his plea and raise matter with the defence ministry first. Withdrawing his plea earlier this month, Verma filed a statutory complaint to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting that a decision be taken in 10 days.

He approached the AFT on Tuesday again as the 10-day period ended on Monday and the ministry had not responded to his complaint.

Verma, who heads the Andaman and Nicobar Command in Port Blair, would have been the senior-most officer in the navy on May 31 when Admiral Sunil Lanba retired. Singh currently heads the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command.