Adarsh Society's members have approached the defence ministry and the Central Bureau of Investigation, seeking quashing of the FIR filed in the alleged multi-crore scam in the housing society, in the wake of a judicial probe of the Maharashtra government which had stated that the land belonged to the state and not the defence forces.
Ahead of the talks next week with Pakistan on Siachen, Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday sought to lower the expectations, saying that no "dramatic announcement or decision" should be anticipated. He said India will stick to its stand on the issue at the defence secretary-level talks in Islamabad on June 11-12
"China has increased their military capabilities and spending more on defence," Defence Minister A K Antony said at a Security Forum in Singapore
Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said India has sought details from the United Kingdom in connection with corruption allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal with Italy and "strong action" would be taken in case any foul play is detected in the procurement process.
A day prior to his retirement, Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Tuesday sought to downplay the controversies surrounding him, saying there is "no misunderstanding" between him and the defence ministry. He also said Defence Minister A K Antony was "very clear headed" in supporting the armed forces.
After he failed to get any relief from the high court before army chief's retirement, Lt Gen Tejinder Singh on Tuesday approached Defence Minister A K Antony for taking disciplinary action against Gen V K Singh for issuing an alleged defamatory press release against him.
The defence ministry is not very hopeful about getting an additional Rs 40,000 crore for modernisation of the armed forces, with Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday saying he was struggling to get even the Rs 1.93 lakh crore allotted by the government in the budget. "Now I am struggling to get the budgetary amount," he told reporters when asked if he was hopeful of getting the additional Rs 40,000 crore sought by his ministry for the modernising of the three services.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will not be attending the swearing-in of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata on Friday.
Against the backdrop of the killing of Al Qeada leader Osama bin Laden and the situation in Pakistan, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday took stock of the country's overall security scenario with the military top brass.
Defence Minister A K Antony expressed his displeasure to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in presence of their Cabinet colleagues on Thursday, for permitting 51% Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
In a written reply to the House, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "As per the Defence Acquisition Council decision of October 2011, Ordnance Factory Board is to manufacture 155mm Howitzers."
Unhappy over the initial report, Defence Minister A K Antony has asked Army to take immediate "corrective" steps to see that incidents like the clash between jawans and officers at a firing range near the India- China boundary in Nyoma, Ladakh do not recur.
Speeding up the military modernisation process, the defence ministry on Friday cleared procurement projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore including the long-pending acquisition of 145 Ultra Light Howitzers from the United States under a Rs 3,000-crore deal.
Attacking the government over defence preparedness and shortage of equipment, the Bharatiya Janata Party specifically targetted Defence Minister A K Antony in Rajya Sabha saying his "no work, no mistake and clean image" was a dangerous policy.
Seeking to turn the tables on the Opposition, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said that the present government has not purchased a single new Tatra truck and the current deliveries were being made as per the contract signed in 2003.
India has strengthened its military power since the 1962 China-Indian war and is now fully capable of defending itself, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Thursday. "Infrastructure in the northeast is not up to our satisfaction but it has improved a lot as compared to the past. India of 2012 is not India of that period. We are now capable of defending every inch of our country," he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference of the Indian Navy.
There is seething anger among the senior administration officials -- at State, Commerce and the Pentagon -- and representatives of business and industry that New Delhi's decision was wholly political and much of the finger-pointing was at Defence Minister A K Antony and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The government will "seriously" consider a proposal to bar senior officers of defence forces from taking up private job for five years after retirement, the Rajya Sabha was told on Wednesday against the backdrop of a retired Lt General's alleged role as a lobbyist.
Against the backdrop of controversy over Tatra truck deal, government today told the Rajya Sabha the purchases were made as per the requirement raised by defence forces and action will be taken if any wrongdoing was detected in the ongoing CBI probe.
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony is 'very suspicious of the private sector', leading Indian business baron Jamshyd N Godrej has said.
The issue between the Army and the Indian Air Force for controlling attack helicopters was a "family problem" and the government was in the final stages of finding a solution for it, Defence Minister A K Antony said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
In a first, India has seized a bank guarantee worth Rs 224 crore furnished by an Israeli defence vendor for breach of integrity pact after the company was blacklisted for alleged involvement in graft cases related to ordnance factories.
Sending a strong message to "wrongdoers" in the armed forces, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday warned of "strictest possibile action" against those indulging in acts of corruption.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P K Dhumal on Monday took up the issue of control over Shimla's Annandale grounds, on which his government is at loggerheads with the army, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said he would meet Defence Minister A K Antony also on the issue.
Antony asked the commanders to be more vigilant and to take appropriate steps in the light of Sunday's developments in Afghanistan which saw a series of suicide bomb attacks, defence ministry officials said.
"The Letter of Request (LoR) for procuring 145 Ultra Light Howitzers for the Indian Army through the Foreign Military Sales route would be issued in October," a Defence Ministry official told PTI on Friday.
In the backdrop of the recent storm over alleged corruption in defence procurements, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said the country's interests were paramount and there will be "no cover up and no vendetta".
India is developing a 5,000 km-range Agni ballistic missile, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday.
Defence Minister A K Antony and Army Chief Gen V K Singh on Tuesday paid tributes and laid wreaths at the cemetery of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw on his 98th birth anniversary.
Army Chief General V K Singh will have a meeting with Defence Minister A K Antony to discuss procurement projects for the army, their first official meeting days after his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the poor state of defence preparedness got leaked.
Defence Minister A K Antony and Army Chief General V K Singh will attend a function at Udhagamandalam on April 3 to mark the 98th birth anniversary of Field (Fd) Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
Under attack over alleged inaction on corruption charges, government on Friday said Defence Minister A K Antony has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into a case relating to public sector undertaking BEML even as inquiry was on into a complaint about an alleged scam in purchase of Tatra trucks.
As Central Bureau of Investigation looks into army chief General V K Singh's letter seeking probe into the allegations of corruption against Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, Defence Minister A K Antony disclosed Thursday that the official has been recommended for promotion as a Commander of a sector.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assets worth around Rs 10.73 crore, double that of last year, but a number of his cabinet colleagues are much richer than him.
To date none of the companies that Defence Minister A K Antony publicly named have been told the charges against them, nor has any CBI charge sheet been filed. Ajai Shukla reports
Defence Minister A K Antony has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Army chief General V K Singh's allegation that he was offered a bribe Rs 14 crore to sanction the purchase of a consignment of sub-standard vehicles.
For the first time ever, the government has announced the number of Indian soldiers who have laid down their lives in the Siachen sector, ever since the Indian army made its first headlong rush to secure that strategic area in the summer of 1984.
Admitting delay in construction of the navy's indigenous aircraft carrier, the government on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that the launch of the ship is now expected to take place next year.
Expressing "serious concerns" over Chinese military modernisation, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said India needs to carry out a "comprehensive review" of its defence preparedness and "remain vigilant" to meet its security challenges.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday slammed China for raising objections to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, describing Beijing's comments on the issue as "most unfortunate" and "really objectionable".