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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
MUMBAI, APRIL 7: Sacked navy chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat tonight said he would be ``very happy to face court martial'' if the defence ministry produced evidence to back the charges made against him.
``Let the charges and evidence be produced'', he said responding to an indication given by Defence Minister George Fernandes in a television interview that court martial of Bhagwat was being considered as some offences by the latter were grave transgressions of the Navy Act.Apprised about the Fernandes interview to Karan Thapar's ``On the record'' programme to be telecast by Doordarshan tomorrow, Bhagwat said those speaking of court martialling him would ``themselves have to face trial before the people's court''.
In the interview conducted in New Delhi, Fernandes was asked if leakage of the project was tantamount to treason. ``Yes, it is,'' he answered. ``Will you now consider court martialling him (Bhagwat)?,'' the questioner asked. Fernandes replied, ``it is a suggestion for action. It is a suggestion onwhich one would apply one's mind.''
To a specific question why Bhagwat was not court martialled since the charges against him were serious, Fernandes said ``I agree we were soft. I agree court martial may have been more appropriate way of dealing with it.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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