Anjali Gupta

New Delhi, Feb. 3: The chief of the Indian Air Force has diluted a harsh sentence of a court martial against a lady officer and has ordered that her punishment should be converted from “cashiering” to “dismissal”.

Anjali Gupta, probably the first woman officer in the IAF to have been court-martialled, had petitioned Air Chief Marshal Shashi P. Tyagi and had alleged bias against her.

Dismissal from service means that Gupta will not have to go through an elaborate ritual that involves stripping her of rank (flying officer) by tearing off her epaulettes, denial of privileges and monetary benefits, destruction of the uniform and literally slamming the doors of the IAF establishment she last served in after ejecting her from the premises.

The ritual symbolises that the gates of the armed services are forever shut for a cashiered officer.

Orders of court martials in the armed services are rarely overturned but the chief of service has the authority to “mitigate” cases.

In her petition to the chief of air staff, Gupta had pleaded for the court martial to be declared null and void. On December 9, 2005, the court martial had recommended that she be cashiered from service.

Gupta and her Delhi-based family believe she was victimised for blowing the whistle on corrupt deals on the campus of the Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment in Bangalore. They also alleged that she was sexually harassed.

Gupta can challenge the air force order in a high court.

The court martial found her guilty on five counts of financial embezzlement, insubordination, indiscipline, irregularity and conduct unbecoming of an officer.

Gupta has alleged that she was singled out by three superior officers of the Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment.