Army Major facing inquiry for marrying Canadian national

An Army Major is in the dock for marrying a Canadian national without clearance from the force.

The Army has initiated an inquiry against the officer after it came to light that he had married the Indian-origin Canadian national without getting clearance from the Service.

The Major, who was till recently posted with the elite National Security Guards, is facing the inquiry for marrying the Indian-origin woman in 2010, a year after she was granted Canadian citizenship, sources told PTI here.

The officer allegedly did not furnish information about the status of his wife's permanent citizenship to the authorities, they said.

The sources said he was allegedly in touch with the woman for quite some time before marrying her and knew about her citizenship status.

The citizenship of the officer's wife was revealed after he applied for leave to go abroad to meet her, they said.

After the matter came to light, the officer was repatriated from NSG to his parent unit, which is deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Under the Army Act, officers have to seek permission from the Service before contacting foreign nationals even if he subsequently wants to marry that person, otherwise they are liable to face action," military law expert Col Rajiv Manglik said here.

Army personnel can be allowed to marry foreign nationals only if they leave the force or the spouse renounces his or her foreign citizenship.

A couple of years ago, the Bombay High Court had allowed a Major to marry an American national and asked the Army to accept his retirement plea.