Indian army chief takes birthday row to top court

India: India's army chief has filed a lawsuit against the government in the Supreme Court asking for his birthday to be changed on official records to prevent him being forced into retirement.

The petition by the highly decorated veteran of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan is the first case in India of a serving army chief taking the government to court.

General V.K. Singh has asked the Supreme Court to recognise what he says is his correct birthday as May 10, 1951, making him one year younger than the age shown on government records which state his date of birth as May 10, 1950.

Calling the decision “a matter of honour and not tenure”, Singh pressed the court to accept the date recorded in his school-leaving certificate as his real date of birth, the petition seen by AFP says.

Indian government employees have to retire at 62, which means Singh would leave service in May this year unless he wins his case in the Supreme Court which would allow him to retire in May 2013. The defence ministry has previously rejected Singh's claim twice, citing the date marked on his documents when he entered the army, and the government indicated it would fight the legal case. AFP