On Wednesday, the Indian government introduced a bill in Lok Sabha that would give disciplinary powers to the Commander-in-Chief or the Officer-in-Command of Inter-services Organisations. These powers would extend to personnel from any service under the command, such as the Andaman and Nicobar Command or the Strategic Forces Command and other tri-services organisations.
Currently, service personnel of the Indian Air Force, Army, and Navy are governed by their respective service Acts. However, only officers of the respective services are empowered to exercise disciplinary powers over the service personnel under the current norms and regulations. This lack of power has a direct impact on command, control, and discipline-related issues in inter-services organisations like the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the Defence Space Agency, and joint training establishments like the National Defence Academy.
The proposed bill seeks to address this issue by empowering the Commander-in-Chief or Officer-in-Command of such organisations to exercise disciplinary or administrative powers over personnel belonging to other services. This will eliminate the need for personnel serving in inter-services organisations to be reverted to their parent service units for any disciplinary or administrative action, which is not only time-consuming but also has financial implications relating to the movement of personnel.
The bill, if passed, will bring more efficiency and streamlined discipline to inter-services organisations. The proposed changes will also enable the Commander-in-Chief or Officer-in-Command to take swift action when necessary, without needing to involve multiple units and services.
The proposed legislation is a positive step towards modernizing and improving the command structure of the Indian Armed Forces. It is expected to enhance the effectiveness of inter-services organisations, as well as improve coordination and discipline among the different services.
