In an unusual move, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 granted one month extension in tenure to Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Manoj Pande beyond his retirement date, upto June 30, 2024. He was due to retire on May 31 on turning 62 years of age.
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Normally, for Service Chiefs the tenure is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier.
There is only such instance in the past, when in 1975 then Army Chief Gen G.G. Bewoor was given a one year extension by Indira Gandhi-led Government so that the next in line as per seniority Lt Gen Prem Bhagat retired from service. Gen Bewoor served as Chief from January 16, 1973 to May 31, 1975 and was succeeded by Gen T. N. Raina.
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The ACC, on May 26, 2024, approved the extension in service of COAS Gen Manoj C. Pande for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31, 2024), i.e. up to June 30, 2024, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954, a Defence Ministry statement said. Gen Pande was appointed as the COAS on April 30, 2022. He was commissioned into the Army in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).
The current Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi is the next in line for the top post based on the principle of seniority. He was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAKRIF) in 1984, a unit he later commanded.
The senior most after him is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh, currently the Southern Army Commander. He was commissioned into 7/11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1984. Both the senior most officers after Gen Pande are course mates.