Centre amends rules for CDS appointment, Retd chiefs also eligible; details here
The CDS post, created on December 24, 2019 serves as the chief military advisor to the Minister of Defence and oversees the operations of all the three wings of the armed forces.
New Delhi: The Defence Ministry on Tuesday issued a notification to amend the guidelines related to the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). With the new rules setting in, a large pool of officers will be eligible for elevation to the post of CDS including the Retired officers but haven’t crossed 62 years.
The CDS post has been lying vacant after the tragic demise of General Bipin Rawat in the chopper crash last year. As per the new rules, any serving or retd Lieutenant General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral under 62 years will be eligible for the post of CDS. This means that the second-highest rank officers of three forces will also be considered for the top post and if chosen, can supersede their top command i.e. Army/Air/Navy chief. This will also widen the pool of officers from which CDS can be appointed.
Another change is that the retired service chiefs and vice chiefs will also be eligible for the post, provided they have not crossed 62 years of age. The notification further says that the Central govt can extend the tenure of serving CDS til a maximum age of 65 years.
The CDS post, created on December 24, 2019 serves as the chief military advisor to the Minister of Defence and oversees the operations of all the three wings of the armed forces.
India lost its 1st CDS General Bipin Rawat
Former Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was India’s first CDS. The nation lost its 1st CDS in an unfortuante plane crash on Dec 9, 2021 after his Mi-17V5 military helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu.
Rawat, his wife and 12 other defece personnel were travelling to Coonor (Tamil Nadu) in a VIP helicopter but it met with a mishap at the outskirts of city. The choppper carrying them to Wellington crashed near a residential colony of Coonoor. While 11 died at the spot, General Rawt was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries.
Group Captain Varun Singh, the only survivor of fatal plane crash underwent treatment for several days but eventully lost battle with life at Bengaluru hospital.