Vice Admiral Bimal Verma Moves Tribunal for Being Overlooked As Next Navy Chief

New Delhi, March 23: Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command Vice Admiral Bimal Verma has approached an armed forces tribunal seeking to know why he was overlooked as the next navy chief despite being the senior-most in the line of command, official sources said Monday. The government last month named Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as next chief of the naval staff, succeeding Admiral Sunil Lanba who retires on May 30.

The government made the selection following a merit-based approach and did not go with the tradition of appointing the senior-most eligible officer to the post. Vice Admiral Verma is senior to Singh and was among the contenders for the top post. Sources said Vice Admiral Verma has approached an armed forces tribunal in the national capital to know why the government ignored his seniority. His petition is likely to be taken up Tuesday, they said. Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Appointed Next Navy Chief, to Take Charge on May 31 After Sunil Lanba’s Retirement.

Besides Verma, the other contenders for the Navy Chief post included Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, FOC-in-C of Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar and FOC-in-C of Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, the source said. While appointing the Army Chief in 2016, the government did not follow the long-held tradition of going by the seniority.