Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is at present the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam. (File)Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on Monday moved the Armed Forces Tribunal after he was superseded by Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Navy chief despite being the senior-most in the line of command.
In his petition, Verma, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, has challenged the government’s move to ignore seniority and appoint his junior as the next Navy chief. His petition is likely to be taken up Tuesday, PTI reported.
Last month, the government named Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next chief of naval staff. Singh, who will succeed Admiral Sunil Lanba who retires on May 30, will be the first helicopter pilot to occupy the office of Navy chief.
Verma, younger brother of former Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, hasn’t headed either the Western or the Eastern Naval command, which is considered essential for anyone to be considered for the top post.
In 2016, the government had elevated General Bipin Rawat as Army chief, superseding two senior Army commanders.
Karambir Singh, who belongs to Jalandhar, graduated from Barnes School in Maharashtra before joining the NDA. Singh was commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1980 and earned his wings as a helicopter pilot in 1982. He has extensive experience in flying the HAL Chetak and Kamov Ka-25 helicopters.
