A court martial has found Lt Gen PK Rath guilty on 3 counts of issuing a No Objection Certificate to a private real estate developer to construct an educational institution on a 70 acre site next to Sukna military station in Darjeeling district. ( HT, July 12 ). The court found the general not guilty of " intent to defraud the army " but is going to meet again to reconsider the decision because " it failed to properly appreciate the evidence on record and accord due weightage to the evidence ". It is shocking that an officer who is second in rank to the Commander in Chief could stoop so low and jeopardise his entire career for money. However, it is not so surprising when one considers that at least 2 chiefs of armed forces have benefited from cheap apartments in the Adarsh building scam in Mumbai. Recently around 2 dozen Lt Colonels have been charged with selling off their personal weapons to unauthorised people. They may face court martial. Not so long ago officers in the armed forces were seen as gentlemen, gallant and honest, ready to protect the country with their lives. Not so now. Everyday there is some story about corruption in the armed forces. Army officers constantly compare their salaries to civilians in private companies and burn with greed and jealousy. They completely ignore their very high salaries for doing very little in peace time. They are given fantastic accommodation at nominal rents, automatic membership of army clubs where food and drinks are subsidised, handsome pensions on retirement, can buy cheap housing built by AWHO and the best health care for life. Politicians have managed to pollute the whole country.