by R. P. Singh (Author), Ranjit B. Rai (Retd) (Author)
On December 30, 1999, the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government took an unprecedented step of sacking it's temperamental but bright navy chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat for 'defiance of civilian authority'. This is an impartial account of the incident which shows that the swords were drawn against him much before he became the naval chief and the legal battles he fought to gain his rightful place. It also recounts the events leading to the withdrawal of the President's pleasure in respect of the Chief of the Naval Staff - the constitutional and legal norms which should have been duly followed.
Author Biography
CMDE Ranjit Bhawani Rai (Retd.) served in the Indian Navy, commanded four ships and the Naval Academy. He served twice in the NHQ as the Director of Operations and later Intelligence. He also served as Defence Adviser in Singapore. Leaving Navy prematurely, he attended IIM (Ahmedabad) for Shipping Management and was the rep for Waterman Shipping Corp USA (1993-2004), when India liberalized and shipping thrived. After US flagged ships withdrew to war in Iraq, he took to writing, broadcasting, and conferences. Author of four books, his avocations are TV commentary, golf and supporting his wife's inbound tourism activities.