An Indian Army Havildar clerk is facing a summary court-martial at Binnaguri in West Bengal over allegations that he forged official service records to facilitate irregular payment of allowances totalling ₹5.58 crore to soldiers, while allegedly collecting ₹1.73 crore in commissions.
The individual was posted with the 20 Mountain Artillery Brigade Camp. The matter came to light following an audit objection raised by the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA) in 2022 concerning the publication of delayed Part II orders. Investigations indicate that the alleged irregularities occurred between December 2019 and September 2022.
An internal probe conducted by the 20 Mountain Artillery Brigade Camp established that the Havildar had published 75 incorrect orders relating to temporary duty, 43 orders for children’s education allowance, 51 orders for hostel subsidy allowance, and 49 orders for house rent allowance. Hostel subsidy allowance is provided to defence personnel to meet the boarding and lodging expenses of their children studying in residential schools.
Army sources stated that the PCDA had flagged an abnormally high balance in the account of one jawan, along with the late publication of a related Part II order. The jawan was issued a show-cause notice. He had claimed hostel allowance for the period from 2 April 2019 to 31 March 2022 at an inflated rate, although his children were studying in LKG, Class 1, and Class 2. The jawan admitted the incorrect claim and alleged that the Havildar had processed it in exchange for a commission. A detailed Court of Inquiry was thereafter ordered.
The Army has charged the Havildar with nearly a dozen offences. These include taking commissions for the false publication of Part II orders for various allowances, forging the signatures of the Camp Commandant, unauthorised use of the Commandant’s Human Resource Management System (HRMS) token, and use of a forged stamp of school authorities.
The Havildar approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) challenging the initiation of summary court-martial proceedings. He contended that the offences were barred by limitation under Section 122 of the Army Act, 1950. The AFT disposed of the application in June 2026, observing that the Havildar could raise the limitation issue at the appropriate stage during the court-martial proceedings in accordance with the procedure laid down under the Army Rules, 1954.
The summary court-martial proceedings against the Havildar are underway at Binnaguri. The case highlights the role of Part II orders in the regularisation of pay and allowances for Army personnel and the scrutiny exercised by the PCDA over such publications.
