CoAS Sharma staying on a home leave from August 9

Kathmandu, July 20: Chief of the General Staff (CGS) of the Nepali Army (NA) Ashok Raj Sigdel Chhetri, who was embroiled in a birthdate controversy, is becoming the new Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS).

While Sigdel will officially become the Chief of the Army Staff on September 10, he will assume the command as Army Chief from August 9, 2024, as Acting Army Chief after COAS General Prabhu Ram Sharma goes on a compulsory one-month home leave.

In the Nepali Army, it is customary for the outgoing Chief of the Army Staff to have a month-long home leave before retirement, handing over the command to the Chief of General Staff (CGS), the second-highest three-star rank. 

It is almost certain that Sharma will transfer the responsibility to CGS Sigdel. The current Chief of Staff (CoS), Nirmal Kumar Thapa, is currently serving as the Force Commander in the UN Peace Mission in Syria. CoS is the third highest rank in the Lt. General post after CGS rank. 

The two-year term of Lt. Gen. Thapa, who is now in Syria, will expire in three months.  Because of the term period and age limit, Thapa cannot claim the post of the Army Chief. 

If all goes well, CGS Sigdel will command the Nepali Army for the next three years.

CGS Sigdel was promoted to the rank of CGS in December 2023, after Major General Tara Dhwaj Pandey, who was in line to become the Chief of the Army Staff, resigned after the committee of the House of Representatives and the Army Headquarters found some discrepancies in his birthdate and academic certificates. Maj. Gen. Pandey had resigned on November 11, 2023.

CGS Pandey's resignation paved the way for Sigdel to become the Chief of the Army Staff.

Army rebuffs Sigdel's birthdate controversy   

During a press conference organised at the Army Headquarters on Thursday to make public the overall activities of the Army in the last fiscal year, Brigadier General and Spokesperson for the Nepali Army Gaurav Kumar KC claimed that there were no issues with Sigdel's documents and birthdate.

There were questions in the parliamentarian committee regarding different birthdates on Sigdel’s educational certificates and citizenships, with claims that his age was altered when obtaining a copy of his citizenship. 

Earlier, Army Chief General Prabhu Ram Sharma also told the parliamentary committee meeting that no discrepancies were found in Sigdel’s documents.

The army claimed to have verified the documents from the relevant offices and found no discrepancies.

According to the Army Headquarters, Lt. General Sigdel had first obtained citizenship from the District Administration Office, Rupandehi on August 14, 1983. His citizenship did not mention his birthdate but only indicated that he was 17 years old when the citizenship was issued.

It appears that he received his SLC certificate exactly one month after obtaining his citizenship. In the SLC certificate, his full birthdate is mentioned as February 1, 1967. Sigdel got his SLC certificate on September 14, 1983. 

Army Spokesperson KC himself presented the two citizenship certificates received by Sigdel from Rupandehi and Jajarkot on Thursday during the press conference claiming that there was no change or difference in birthdate.

Although his citizenship issued on August 14, 1983 mentions he was 17 years old, his educational certificate shows he turned 17 only in September 1983. 

However, the Nepali Army Service Regulations-2069 states that if the age difference between citizenship and educational certificates is less than a year, the full date of birth mentioned in the educational certificate should be considered valid and genuine.

Clause 77 of the Military Regulations provisions for retirement. Clause (5) states, "If a citizenship certificate only mentions the year and another certificate like of education certificate reveals the full birthdate, and the difference between the birthdate mentioned in these certificates is up to one year, the complete date of birth seen in any academic certificate or citizenship should be considered as main basis."

Looking at this, there is a six-month difference between the issuance date of Sigdel's citizenship and the birthdate mentioned in the educational certificate, which makes no difference, the army claimed. 

Similarly, Lt. General Sigdel had also obtained a copy of his citizenship from Jajarkot on May 21, 2001. This copy also mentions his citizenship issuance date as August 14, 1983. In various complaints filed earlier against Sigdel, it was claimed that his citizenship issued from Rupandehi was dated September 25, 1983.

"The Nepali Army claims that these are all false allegations and that his certificates and citizenships have been verified by the relevant offices," KC said. 

Spokesperson KC claimed that even when the certificates submitted by Lieutenant General Sigdel at the time of joining the Nepali Army were re-verified by the relevant offices, there was no difference in the birthdate.