The Army has initiated disciplinary proceedings against a Major General and several other officers for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate the selection of officer candidates for the Armed Forces at the Service Selection Centre (SSC), Kapurthala.Section 123 of the Army Act was invoked against the Major General, who headed the centre, on Jattvibeday — his last day in service — enabling the Army to proceed with court martial action against him, sources said.The Section empowers the Army to recall retired or discharged individuals accused of committing an offence while serving in the military so that proceedings under the Act can be conducted against them.Earlier this month, the Major General was attached to the Headquarters Delhi Area, while around 20 other officers, including some who have since retired, were attached to various Army formations as part of the ongoing investigation.Following an initial probe by the Military Intelligence of certain officers accepting illegal gratification, ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh to select candidates, the Additional Directorate General of Discipline and Vigilance in Army Headquarters approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2021 for a detailed investigation into the scam.The CBI had conducted searches at 30 places across India in connection with this case, including Delhi, Kapurthala, Bathinda, Kaithal, Palwal, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Guwahati, Jorhat and Chirangon. An FIR filed by the CBI named 23 individuals, including Army officers.The scam revolved around clearing candidates temporarily rejected on medical grounds by fraudulently passing them in the Review Medical Board. One of the jawans involved used to compile a full list of all such rejected candidates who could be approached.Some of the payments for such transactions were made by UPI to the family members of the accused, including their parents, and these were traced through bank accounts, though cash payments remained undisclosed.The CBI had recommended that the Army initiate departmental action against the accused, and it was on the basis of the CBI report that the Army moved to attach the officers. Some personnel below officer rank are also said to be facing action.