Air Marshal A P Singh to take charge as new Chief of Air Staff on Sep 30
New Delhi, Sep 21: Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, an accomplished fighter pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience, will take charge as the chief of the Indian Air Force on September 30, succeeding incumbent Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari.
Air Marshal Singh is presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari will retire on September 30 after helming the force for three years.
"The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff, in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of September 30," the defence ministry said.
As Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Singh's priorities are expected to be the procurement of new fighter fleets and advancing the modernisation agenda of the force in view of the fast-evolving regional security landscape, including the challenges along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The number of the IAF's fighter squadrons has come down to around 30 as against the authorised strength of at least 42.
The air warrior played a key role in the IAF's hosting of the multinational wargame 'Tarang Shakti' recently.
Known as a fine strategist, Air Marshal Singh, in a message to the DRDO and other agencies apparently over delays in delivery of Tejas jets and other military systems, said publicly at an event in July that self-reliance in defence cannot be at the cost of national security.
Born on October 27, 1964, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the fighter pilot stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1984.
In his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional and foreign appointments.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College, the air officer is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience on a variety of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
The officer has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air base.
As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow. He was also the project director (flight test) at the National Flight Test Centre and was tasked with flight testing of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas.
Air Marshal Singh is taking charge of the IAF amid concerns over delays in the supply of LCA Tejas-Mark 1A variant to the force by state-run aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
The officer has held important staff appointments of Air Defence Commander at South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command.
Prior to assuming the charge of Vice Chief of the Air Staff in February last year, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.
The Air Marshal is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He is known as a fitness enthusiast who also plays squash.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
