Indian Army jails officer for extramarital affair with fellow officer’s wife

New Delhi: At a time when the Army has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to cases of ‘moral turpitude’, a lieutenant colonel has been recommended for dismissal from service and awarded a five-year jail term for having an affair with a fellow officer’s wife.

The officer was awarded the punishment by a General Court Martial today at the Delhi Cantonment area after a lengthy judicial process in which he was given time and opportunity to prove himself right.

“The trial of the officer is over and he has been found guilty of all the three charges against him. One charge is that of a conduct unbecoming of an officer while the other is that of instigating his brother officer’s wife for a divorce and enter an illicit affair with her,” sources in the Army told MyNation.

The erring officer has been held guilty also of a third charge under the Indian Penal Code — for entering into a fake marriage with dishonest intention, the sources said.

For being guilty on these three counts, the officer has been awarded the sentence of cashiering from service along with a five-year jail sentence, the sources said.

The sources said the sentence awarded by the general court martial would be subject to a confirmation by the Chandimandir-based Army Western Command as the Delhi area falls under its jurisdiction.

The general court martial was headed by a Brigadier-rank officer of Army Air Defence along with two other officers.

In the recent times, the Indian Army has become stringent in dealing with cases it sees as those of moral turpitude. Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat has made it clear that such officers or men will not be spared at any cost.

In the armed forces, it is illegal to have an affair with a colleague’s wife even if it is consensual. The charge is defined as the “stealing of affection of brother officer’s wife”.

Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.