AIDEF Contemplates Legal Action against Lt. General (Retd.).P.R.Shankar for his “Malicious” article against Ordinance Factories

The All India Defence Employees Federation which has already issued the lawyer Notice to the Retd. Lt. Gen. P.R.Shankar, against his malicious Article published against the 219 years old Ordnance Factories and its employees. The Retd. Gen. have now written another article in “The Guardian” on 23/09/2020.  In this Article also he has made sarcastic criticism and allegations against the Ordnance Factories. Reacting to this Article, C.Srikumar, General Secretary of All India Defence Employees Federations have now written complaint to The Director/IIT Madras, where he is working as a Professor.

www.indianpsu.com has accessed a copy of the complaint made by C.Srikumar, which is given below for the information of our readers.

Lt. Gen. P R Shankar, AVSM, VSM,(Retd.) Professor of Practice at IIT Madras has published an article titled “ CORPORATISATION OF OFB: HIGH TIME FOR REAL ACTION”  in The Guardian on September 23, 2020.

This is highly objectionable, as he has criticised OFB, a department under Ministry of Defence and has most likely published without taking permission from your office.

Extracts from article
“The OFB is similar to the Boeing 737 Max aircraft which was flying with the wrong software and ultimately crashed… — Anonymous”

The OFB is now internationally synonymous with poor quality.
The general opinion in international circles is that dealing with OFB is like burning your fingers.
No nation can afford such neglect and profligacy. Just on this score, the OFB system needs major reform.
A tongue in cheek remark once made to me by a junior officer was – if there is OFB around, who needs an enemy?
What is the use of OFB when it cannot produce a gun based on a 35 year old TOT, to defend the nation in a crisis?
Equally, the MOD cannot just put out an import ban on 155 mm guns and sit back and wait for a proven failure like OFB to deliver goods. That is a dream in a dream.

(2)
Such a state of affairs represents a deep systematic malaise.

Judging from the reactions of trade unions, they will impede the work of the consultant. Also the officers of the IOFS cadre will not cooperate with the consultant.

Also, it is fully possible that the recommendations of the consultant are frozen like all the other committee reports before this. Internal subversion of such nature and political cold feet is also fully on the cards.

A major problem of the OFB is the disconnect and insensitivity to users. A greater connect between the Services and the OFB must commence.

Rule Violations 

The above statement of his is the clear violation of the Conduct Rules applicable for the employees of IIT/Madras, the relevant portion of  the Conduct Rules is given below for your kind ready reference

“No employee shall, in any radio broadcast or in any document published anonymously or in his own name or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion—

(i)which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any currentor recent policy or action of the Institute; or

(ii)which is capable of embarrassing the relations betweenInstitute and the Central Government or any StateGovernment or any other Institution or organization ormembers of the public.

Provided that nothing in this paragraph shall apply to any statements made or views expressed by an employee in his official capacity or in the due performance of the duties assigned to him.”
Lt. Gen. P R Shankar has violated Para 6(ii) of IITM conduct Rules
CONNECTION WITH PRESS.OR RADIO OR PATENTS

(1) No employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the competent authority, own wholly or in part, or conduct, or participate in the editing or managing of any newspaper or other periodical publications

(2) No employee shall, except with the previous sanction of the competent authority, or any other authority empowered by it in this behalf, or in the bona fide discharge of his duties, participate in a radio broadcast or contribute any article or write any letter either anonymously or in his own name or in the name of any other person to any newspaper or periodical.

(3) Action Required
Lt. Gen. P R Shankar has violated Para 5(2) of IITM conduct Rules for publishing an article without permission of institute.
Necessary disciplinary action may be initiated against Lt. Gen. P R Shankar.
Apart from this the undersigned has already issued a Lawyer Notice to the Lt. Gen. P.R.Shankar on 07/09/2020 for publishing an Article in the New Indian Express Newspaper on 11/08/2020, in which he has maliciously made an objectionable charge against the workers of Ordnance Factories represented by Trade Unions by using the  following words:-

“Are the workers being instigated by party politics or forces inimical to the nation? Is there a China hand behind the strike? There is obviously  more to it than meets the eye.”

Lawyer of the All India Defence Employees Federation has called upon him to tender an unconditional apology, to withdraw the said defamatory statements and publish the same in The New Indian Express News paper, failing which such criminal and other civil proceedings would be instituted against him.