Judge Advocate General's Department (India)

Last updated
Judge Advocate General's Department
CountryIndia
RoleMilitary law, military justice and dealing with court martials
Motto(s)Nyaya Eva Dharm ('Justice alone is the Supreme Duty' at any cost and under all circumstances)
Commanders
JAG Judge Advocate General

The Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Department is the legal branch of the Indian Army. It deals with military related disciplinary cases and litigation and assists in providing legal assistance to the army in human rights matters and the rule of law among other things. [1] The department consists of legally qualified Army officers who are educated in military law and provide legal help to the military in all aspects. [2] The department supports the Judge Advocate General who is the legal and judicial chief of India and advises the Chief of the Army Staff of legal matters. The JAG's Department is also responsible for emerging fields of military law such as those related to cyber laws, space laws, terrorism and human rights violations. [3] The service rendered in the JAG's Department are considered to be Judicial service as per the regulations for the Indian Army.

Contents

History

The JAG's Department traces its history to the British Articles of War-1385 and the evolution of military law. The corps day of the JAG is the day the Bill of the Army Act was laid in Parliament, 21 December 1949. [1] Women were only eligible for appointment as officers in JAG after January 1992. [4] The JAG also provides for permanent commission for women officers. [5] Colonel Leena Gaurav became the First lady officer of the JAG Br to pick up the rank of Colonel .

Recruitment

Selection

Every year the Indian Army releases a notification for law graduates between the ages of 21 and 27 for Short Service Commission to the department of JAG. Requirements include an LL.B. degree and be eligible for registration with the Bar Council of India. [2] [6] There are only ten posts in total, seven for men and three for women. [2] The Directorate General of Recruiting is part of the selection process. [7]

Induction training

Selected candidates will go through 49 weeks of pre-commission training at Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. [6] On successful completion candidates will be awarded 'Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies' by University of Madras. [6]

Deployment

After grant of commission and basic training the law graduates are attached to infantry units at border locations and function like their fellow soldiers. This one and half year exposure is intended to inculcate the practical aspects of military law, and exposure to military routine important to understand the future impacts their military orders may have. [7]

Major Priya Jhingan was in the first batch of lady officers at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai and was commissioned into the JAG's Department.

In November 2019, Lt Col Jyoti Sharma became the first woman officer from the JAG's Department to be assigned a foreign mission. She has been appointed as a legal military expert to the Government of Seychelles. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps</span> Military unit

The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fathima Beevi</span> Indian judge (1927–2023)

M. Fathima Beevi was an Indian judge who was a justice of the Supreme Court of India. Appointed to the apex Court in 1989, she became the first female judge to be a part of the Supreme Court of India, and the first Muslim woman to be appointed to any of the higher judiciaries in the country. On her retirement from the court, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and later as the Governor of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001. In 2023, she was honoured with Kerala Prabha Award, the second-highest honour given by the Government of Kerala. In the 2024 honours list, she was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps</span> Legal arm of the U.S. Army

The Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army, also known as the U.S. Army JAG Corps, is the legal arm of the United States Army. It is composed of Army officers who are also lawyers and who provide legal services to the Army at all levels of command, and also includes legal administrator warrant officers, paralegal noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted personnel, and civilian employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Military Academy</span> Military academy in Dehradun, India

The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up under the chairmanship of General Sir Philip Chetwode. From a class of 40 male cadets in 1932, IMA now has a sanctioned capacity of 1,650. Cadets undergo a training course varying between 3 and 16 months depending on entry criteria. On completion of the course at IMA cadets are permanently commissioned into the army as Lieutenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Borch</span> American lawyer

Colonel Frederic L. Borch was a career United States Army attorney with a master's degree in national security studies, who served as chief prosecutor of the Guantanamo military commissions. He resigned his commission in August 2005 after three prosecutors complained that he had rigged the system against providing due process to defendants. He was replaced by Robert L. Swann

The United States Marine Corps' Judge Advocate Division serves both to advise the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) and other officials in Headquarters, Marine Corps on legal matters, and to oversee the Marine Corps legal community. The head of the Judge Advocate Division (JAD) is the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judge Advocate General of the Navy</span> Highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy

The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on legal matters pertaining to the Navy. The Judge Advocate General also performs other duties prescribed to them under 10 U.S.C. § 5148 and those prescribed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School</span> Federal service academy

The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, also known as The JAG School or TJAGLCS, is a graduate-level division federal service academy located on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The center is accredited by the American Bar Association to award the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Military Law. The center educates military, civilian, and international personnel in legal and leadership skills. The LL.M. curriculum includes courses in Administrative and Civil Law, Contract and Fiscal Law, Criminal Law, and National Security Law. The school serves primarily as the U.S. Army's law school for the Officer Basic Course (OBC) for initial-entry Judge Advocates, and as the graduate program for Judge Advocates of all services branches. It is the only ABA-accredited law school that only awards an LL.M. and not a Juris Doctor degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James E. McPherson</span> American government official (born 1953)

James Edwin McPherson is an American government official and retired United States Navy rear admiral. He served as the General Counsel of the Army from January 2, 2018, to March 24, 2020. He served as the United States Under Secretary of the Army from March 25, 2020, to January 20, 2021, and in acting capacity from July 23, 2019, to March 24, 2020. He served as Acting United States Secretary of the Navy from April 7, 2020, to May 29, 2020, following the resignation of Thomas Modly.

The post of Judge Advocate General in India, as a head of Judge Advocate General's Department, is held by a major general who is the legal and judicial chief of the Army. The Judge Advocate General is assisted by a separate JAG branch which consists of legally qualified army officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Officers Training Academy</span> Governmental Academy for the training and commissioning of Indian Armys officers

The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Medical Corps. Established in 1963, the first academy is located in Alandur, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai. OTA chennai has an impressive tally of gallantry award including 1 Param Vir Chakra, 8 Ashoka Chakra, 10 Maha Vir Chakra, 22 Kirti Chakra, 63 Vir Chakra, 119 Shaurya Chakra and 587 Sena Medal earned by the officers commissioned from this academy bears testimony to the Valour and dedication displayed by the Alumni. A new academy was set up at Gaya in 2011; but was given the go-ahead in December 2019 to be disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judge Advocate General Branch (Pakistan)</span> Pakistan Armys staff corps for legal services.

The Judge Advocate General Branch is a military administrative and the combined staff service branch of the Pakistan Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritza Sáenz Ryan</span> American army officer

Colonel Maritza Sáenz Ryan is a former United States Army officer, and head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy. She was the first woman and first Hispanic West Point graduate to serve as an academic department head.

The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates.

Military law literature in India was established in 1930 by General C.H. Harrington out of a perceived necessity in order to avoid potential injustice within and outside of the armed forces. Military law is a body of law which governs how a member of the armed forces may behave, and as with all forms of law it is subject to periodic changes. The field is based upon official Acts of the Indian government, plus a number of unofficial writings on theoretical applications of law and how it may be changed.

The Adjutant-General of the Indian Army is the senior administration officer who reports to the Chief of Army Staff and is also the Colonel of the Corps of Military Police and Judge Advocate General.

Priya Jhingan is an Indian Army officer and Lady Cadet No 1 and silver medalist from the first batch of 25 lady officers who were commissioned in the Indian Army in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in the Indian Armed Forces</span>

In the Indian Armed Forces women are allowed to join in combat service support branches and in non combatant roles only and they can only become officers except the Corps of Military Police of the Indian Army where women can become sepoys too. The Indian Air Force had 13.09% (2018) and 8.50% (2014) women; the Indian Navy 6% (2018) and 3% (2014); the Indian Army 3.80% (2018) and 3% (2014). As of 2020, three officers have the rank of lieutenant-general or equivalent, all in the Medical Services. In May 2021, 83 women were inducted as sepoys for the first time in the Indian Army, in the Corps of Military Police.

Brigadier General Lee Eun-soo is a South Korean former army officer in the legal field. She was the first female general officer of the South Korean army's legal branch and the seventh in the whole army.

This is a timeline of women in the Indian military and Coast Guard.

References

  1. 1 2 Tuli, Manoj (21 December 2017). "Judge Advocate General's Department celebrates Thirty Fourth Corps Day". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Vijayakumar, Hazeeda (2013-09-29). "Legal counsel for the Army". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Army commends Judge Advocate General's role in combating violence". The Economic Times. 2014-12-22. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  4. ↑ "'Same efficiency as men': SC grants permanent commission to women officers in Indian Navy". Jagran English. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  5. ↑ Hasnain (Retd), Lt Gen Syed Ata (2020-02-18). "Understanding the inner workings and selection process of army". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  6. 1 2 3 Baral, Maitree, ed. (18 January 2020). "Indian Army Invites Applications From Law Graduates For JAG Entry Scheme". NDTV. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  7. 1 2 Kumar, Maj Gen Nilendra (19 August 2018). "Judge Advocate General Office: An Age for Everything". India Legal. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  8. ↑ "Lt Col Jyoti Sharma appointed as Army's first female JAG officer to be deployed on foreign mission". The Times of India. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-18.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.