Inter-Services Organizations Bill, 2023

Recently, the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha to empower designated military commanders to take charge of soldiers and enforce discipline, regardless of the service they belong to.

• Need of the Bill:
  • The bill came ahead of the impending move to establish integrated or joint commands, where all the manpower and assets will be under the operational control of a single three-star general of the Indian Army, Navy and IAF (Indian Air Force).
• Key Provisions:
  • The system is likely to include five joint services commands - western, eastern, northern, maritime, and air defense.
  • The central government may constitute an Inter-services Organisation, which may include a Joint Services Command.
  • It will empower the Commander-in-Chief/the Officer-in Command of Inter-Services Organisations to maintain discipline and ensure proper discharge of duties of all the personnel from the army, navy and IAF serving under his command.
  • The Commander-in-Chief or the Officer-in-Command of an Inter-services Organisation shall be the head of such Inter-services Organisation.
• Significance:
  • The bill will pave way for various tangible benefits such as expeditious disposal of cases, saving time and public money by avoiding multiple proceedings and greater integration and joint Manship amongst Armed Forces personnel.

What is the present set-up for the Tri-services?

• At present, soldiers from their respective services are governed by different Acts of Parliament.
• They are ;
  • The Navy Act of 1957,
  • The Air Force Act of 1950, and
  • The Army Act of 1950.
• In a current joint services setup, an army soldier commanded by a navy officer would have to be sent back to his parent unit for any disciplinary proceedings. The navy officer does not have administrative powers over the said soldier.
• The Indian armed forces currently have 17 commands. There are 7 commands each of the Army and the Air Force. The Navy has 3 commands.
• Each command is headed by a 4-star rank military officer.

• The other tri-service command, the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), looks after the delivery and operational control of the country’s nuclear assets.
• There are also some tri-service organisations like the Defence Intelligence Agency, Defence Cyber Agency, Defence Space Agency, etc.

Concerns:

• Cumbersome disposal process: The personnel serving in the Inter-services Organisations need to be revert to their parent Service units for any disciplinary or administrative action.
  • The problem becomes more cumbersome when the proceedings arise from the same set of facts and circumstances but involves personnel belonging to different services.
• Affect standard of discipline: Multiple sets of proceedings under the respective Service Acts are required to be initiated, which impedes expeditious disposal of cases.
• Different mechanism for administrative action: The bill also provides that the service personnel will continue to be governed by their respective Service Acts for the purposes of disciplinary or administrative action, if any, when serving in or attached to an Inter-services Organisation.