Brilliant... but not brilliant enough
for promotion

Inquiries by rediff.com reveal that Rear Admiral Suhas V Purohit is a classic example of how civilian officials at the defence ministry can scuttle the career of senior defence officers.

Resigned defence minister George Fernandes had cleared his promotion as vice-admiral twice. But now he has been removed from the list.

His petition in the high court is yet to be heard -- it was postponed a third time, to a date after his retirement.

It was his petition, a reeking saga of defence purchases and wastage of money at the ministry, that forced Fernandes to order a special audit of purchases in the past 15 years. Reliable sources confirm that the Central Vigilance Commission's interim report has only confirmed Admiral Purohit's allegations.

Admiral Purohit is credited with seeing the Indian Navy through the crisis period after the Soviet Union's collapse. He adopted unconventional methods to keep his fleet healthy. "He is brilliant," say senior officers at naval headquarters.

Yes -- but not brilliant enough to be promoted, it would appear. Consider these facts:

* In October 1997, the promotion board recommends him to be made vice-admiral. Twice before, the defence minister had approved his promotion.

* Contrary to procedures, the MoD initiates a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry against him despite two departmental inquiries, one at the level of the defence secretary, clearing him. The CBI probe is spurred by an anonymous postcard forwarded by the Prime Minister's Office.

* The inquiry clears Admiral Purohit, but his promotion gets cancelled.

* The admiral is issued a show-cause notice on November 22, 1999 on a Rs 15.3 million purchase a few years earlier. The notice says he overstepped his limit by Rs 300,000, and that he did not follow procedures. He is denied access to all official files relating to that purchase and thus is forced to reply from his memory. He is issued a letter of displeasure.

* Admiral Purohit's daughter, who went to the US on a scholarship, is accused of enjoying her father's 'ill-gotten money.' What is not mentioned is the fact that three inquiries, including one by the CBI, have cleared her father.

Admiral Purohit is just one example. Most documents relating to his case are available from the Delhi high court.

There are many like him. In the Samba spying case, the ministry was unable to decipher the truth when a group of officers went around demolishing lives. It took over 20 years for the Delhi high court to pronounce that the accused were innocent.

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