Time for Indian Army Officers to Understand their Power

Sadly the Indian Army doesn't even know the meaning of being a "Commissioned" officer. Nor is a part of their curriculum in any of the courses. You are the only category who get a commissioning parchment stamped in the name of the President. Earlier it was the King or the Queen. By tradition, the President only uses his stamp and does not sign. No civil servant gets anything like this. They get an appointment letter signed by some Under Secretary. Earlier when the number of Officers being commissioned in Army was small batches used to get it personally signed certificate from President of India.

A commission carries with it the authority of the Constitution to exercise the powers (especially of command) of the state as mandated. 

On the contrary, the civil servants are like the staff of the Executive to assist them in carrying out their constitutional duties. They have no authority of their own except when appointed in the capacity of deputy commissioners/commissioners etc. The term Commissioner comes from the same word that is Commission which we all were while in service.

Just like a Committee carries no constitutional authority but a Commission does. All the commissions like UPSC etc have the power of the state (vested in the President) to exercise powers within the allotted ambit.

Similarly, an Area/Sub Area Commander can declare Martial law under Art. 34 of the Constitution if the civil authority has broken down. That's the reason why the whole country is divided into Areas under the army commanders.

So neither have they made an attempt to know and realise their real powers vested in the document and act of "commission" nor have the hierarchy made an attempt to make this mainstream. It suits the Netas and the Babus very well.

Indian Army has been happy keeping themselves busy in the drill, PT, minor tactics of the CI variety. In the process, they have even forgotten what is operational art ...what to talk of strategy. End result is that they have been taken for a royal ride by all. Their bosses have accepted going to war without any legal backing. Sri Lanka and Kargil are prime examples. Hence they got no cover of Geneva Conventions for such acts. Such things have happened because their brass has neither the knowledge nor the spine to stand up.

Time for them to wake up and not leave their brains behind and not to become robots but stand for their rights too. We salute them for their valiant efforts and we donot want bureaucracy to mow them by their unions as Army does not have a right to form the unions and as a result they are being handed a raw deal.

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