External observers mooted in military promotion boards

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/defence-ministry-external-observers-mooted-in-military-promotion-boards/

While the Defence Ministry wanted to make a civilian officer member of the promotion board, the suggestion has not been accepted by a panel of experts.

Written by Man Aman Singh Chhina, Published:Mar 4, 2016,

IN A move to address complaints of lack of transparency in promotion boards in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, the Ministry of Defence is working to install independent observers in these selection boards who would either be civilian officers or from one of the sister services.

While the Defence Ministry wanted to make a civilian officer member of the promotion board, which comprises entirely military officers, the suggestion has not been accepted by a panel of experts that looked into the matter of opaqueness in military promotion procedures.

The Defence Ministry was of the the view that concerns have been expressed by officers of the defence services that a closed-door system of conducting selection boards leads to dissatisfaction and lack of transparency giving rise to doubts and also rumour-mongering at times.

The ministry asked the committee to ensure the presence of a senior civilian officer, either from the MoD or the DoPT to become a member of the military promotion board. The committee, which recently submitted its report to the Defence Minister, did not agree to having civilian members of selection boards. However, it has recommended that a minimum of two observers in selection boards must be compulsorily from outside the service, that is either from the sister services or civilians. The MoD has now sought action taken report on the recommendations of the panel.

“The observers must truthfully pen down their observations on board proceedings without influence, fear or favour,” the panel says. It added that besides ensuring greater transparency, this would also ensure more faith in a closed door system of selection. “There should be no reason for any objection on this arrangement, since, as projected, if all correct practices and procedures are being followed in all boards, then such methods of more transparency should be rather welcomed to dispel all doubts of the environment,” the report said.

The committee has also said that members of military selection boards, especially for the first selection grade rank of Lt Colonel and equivalent, where the number of officers being considered is quite high, should spend more time deliberating over profiles and at least an extra day should be added for undertaking the above. Profiles of officers may not be rushed through, it said.

The panel has also said that the promotion board results must always be declassified within the prescribed time frame so as to obviate any perception of wrongdoing amongst the officers. It added that delays almost always result in drawing of adverse inference against the establishment.

The experts report has frowned upon the verbal ‘commentary’ undertaken during promotion board proceedings on the profiles of officers under consideration saying that this has the propensity to influence the board members wherein certain aspects of a person’s career can be overplayed while certain can be underplayed leading to subjectivity. The panel said that this feature that can be easily done away with since it has the ability to influence or subconsciously influence the board members result in slanted opinions.

The MoD has also brought out that a common apprehension expressed in most complaints made to it by military officers is that low marks, inconsistent with the overall profile, have been awarded in “Value Judgement” (subjective part of the board) and the same issue is also raised before Courts and Tribunals.

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