New Delhi, Sept. 10: A three-star general was today ordered to report to a unit for disciplinary proceedings that could lead to a court martial, making it the first time that such a senior officer has been lined up for severe punishment.

Army headquarters asked Lieutenant General S.K. Sahni to report to the headquarters of the 10 Corps in Jalandhar for “attachment”, hearing charges and summary of evidence after a court of inquiry indicted him for cheating on more than two counts, one of which was using official funds to build a bar.

The orders were given after Delhi High Court refused his plea to stay proceedings pending against him for more than a year.

Lt General Sahni of the Army Supply Corps, who retired as director general (supplies and transport) in September last year, was also indicted on charges of de-frauding the army in spurious transactions to procure rations, mainly pulses, for troops serving in counter-insurgency operations.

The court of inquiry had found that he used army funds meant for the Equestrian Federation of India to build a bar in the Army Supply Corps College in Bangalore when he was its commandant.

Should the evidence against him prove to be substantial, Sahni may be ordered into a general court martial.

Army headquarters has designated the general officer commanding the Western Command to supervise the proceedings.

Last week, the army began proceedings on charges of sexual harassment against a major (two-star) general who was based in Leh.

The decision to court-martial Sahni was taken last year but he went to court.

The court of inquiry that indicted him was led by the former deputy chief of army staff, Lt General Mohinder Puri. It had also recommended administrative action against Lt General S.S. Dahiya, who was given a warning.

There is no instance of a lieutenant general being court-martialled. So far, the senior-most officers to face court martials have been three major generals — the last being Gur Iqbal Singh of the Bareilly-based 6 Mountain Division who was parcelling army booze to his home town in Punjab.

The other two were Major Generals T.G. Nambiar and P.S.K. Chaudhary in the Tehelka case.