Lok Sabha passes bill towards military reforms
Lok Sabha passed a military reform bill which is an legislation, which empowers the Heads of the Inter-services Organisations to exercise effective command, control and discipline on all personnel of regular Air Force, Army and Navy and to persons of other forces as notified by the Central Government, who are serving in or attached to an Inter-services Organisation, without amending the respective Acts.
It may be noted that military officers are vested with judicial powers too which can be exercised as mandated by each Services Act. However right after the creation of Integrated tri Services Andaman Command,the Govt of India should have enacted this enabling Act and the Lok Sabha should have passed it. Well it has taken more than 30 years.
The Lok Sabha also needs to press for a separate Act laying down clear chain of Command for the Theatre Commanders. Not doing so may one day lead to a serious crisis situation. Whether the Theatre Commanders are totally under the Chief of Defence Staff or they take direct orders from the Raksha Mantri but passed through the Chiefs of Staff Committee should be laid down in black and white right from day one, by a legislative action.
Lok Sabha on Friday passed a bill to empower commanders of inter-services organisations to exercise disciplinary or administrative control over personnel of the army, air force and navy serving under their command with Shri Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri stating that the legislation is an important step in the direction of military reforms.
The Raksha Mantri moved the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 for passage in the House amid opposition protests over their demands related to Manipur debate.
Speaking on the bill, Rajnath Singh said it promotes jointness and provides better disciplinary and administrative powers to commander of inter-services organisations.
“I want to assure the House that this bill is an important step in the direction of military reforms. This bill does not include any additional financial implications,” he said. Rajnath Singh said that at present the service personnel of Air Force, Army and Navy are governed by the provisions of the Air Force Act, 1950, the Army Act, 1950 and the Navy Act, 1957 and only officers of the respective services are empowered to exercise disciplinary powers over the service personnel under the respective Service Acts.
