New Delhi: Admiral Karambir Singh on Friday assumed charge as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). He took over from incumbent Chief Adm. Sunil Lanba, who stepped down upon retirement.
With a career spanning over 39 years, Karambir Singh served as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff at the headquarters in New Delhi before moving to Vishakhapatnam last year as the Eastern Naval Commander.
After his appointment as Navy Chief, Admiral Karambir Singh said that his endeavour would be towards providing the nation with a Navy that is strong, capable and which is ready to meet any security challenge in the maritime domain.
“It is a matter of great honour and pride for me to take charge as the 24th Chief of Naval Staff. My predecessors with their perseverance have made sure that the Navy has a very solid foundation and reaches new heights,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Admiral Karambir Singh PVSM AVSM ADC assumes charge as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff @PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India @DG_PIB @airnewsalerts @rashtrapatibhvn pic.twitter.com/KacUA2xKnd
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 31, 2019
However, the new Navy Chief’s appointment was marred by controversy.
Vice Adm. Bimal Verma, Chief of Andaman and Nicobar based tri-service command had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) questioning the appointment as he was the seniormost Naval officer after Adm. Lanba.
The defence ministry, in an order earlier this month, rejected the Vice Admiral’s plea, calling it ‘devoid of merit’. The ministry added that the Centre was satisfied with the parameters of selection and based on an assessment, Verma was considered but found unsuitable.
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