Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor met defence minister AK Antony here last evening against the backdrop of the reports that the latter wants the same yardstick to be applied against all the four senior army officers indicted in a land scam in Darjeeling.

The case, in which three Lt Generals and a major general have been found culpable by an army Court of Inquiry, is before Gen Kapoor for a final decision on the action to be taken. One of the indicted officers Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash is the military secretary to the army chief and considered close to him.

Defence ministry sources described Kapoor's meeting with Antony as a "routine" one. They said Kapoor wanted to brief
Antony on his recent visit to Nepal.

However, the meeting assumes significance as Antony had reportedly told the Army Chief recently to apply the same yardstick with regard to all the four officers indicted in the Sukna land scam which involves grant of No-Objection Certificate for sale of a plot of land adjacent to an army station in West Bengal.

Among the four officers, Kapoor has ordered disciplinary action against Lt Gen PK Rath, that could lead to a court martial.

However, against Prakash, Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali and Major Gen PC Sen, Kapoor has ordered administrative action under which the punishment ranges from censure to dismissal.

Prakash, one of the top eight aides of the army chief, will retire from service on January 31. Under Army Act and Rules, an officer is liable for action up to three years after his retirement.