New Delhi, Friday, February 10, 2012: The government on Friday withdrew its December 30 order rejecting Army chief General V K Singh’s statutory complaint to change his date of birth.

Attorney General GE Vahanvati on Friday informed the Supreme Court about government’s decision. However, the attorney general said that the government’s July 21 and 22 order turning down Gen Singh’s plea on age row stands.

Hearing on Gen V K Singh’s petition is continuing in the apex court.

Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman citied three letters of Gen Singh to say that he has been unequivocally given his personal rights.

The court had last week taken exception to the manner in which the Centre rejected Gen Singh’s complaint, holding it to be “vitiated and violative of the principles of natural justice”. Justice R M Lodha had said the government took the opinion of attorney general G E Vahanvati to turn down the Army chief’s statutory complaint when the senior-most law officer had already once given an opinion that 1950 should be treated as the year of Gen Singh’s birth.

(News agency)