A summary general court martial (SGCM) has held a Major General from the Army Medical Corps guilty of misappropriation in the procurement of medical supplies worth Rs 11 crore while serving as the Commandant of a Military Hospital in Jammu. He has been cashiered from service and sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment, sources said.The trial, presided by Lt Gen V Sreehari, General Officer Commanding of Dakshin Bharat Area, concluded in Udhampur on Friday. The SGCM was ordered by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command.Maj Gen Devendra Arora, who has since retired, was tried for 18 charges, which included 17 counts under Section 52(f) of the Army Act for intent to defraud and one under Section 57(a) of the Act for making fraudulent statements. The SGCM found him guilty of 16 charges.The SGCM’s verdict is subject to confirmation by the convening authority. The officer has the option of appealing against the findings and sentencing by the SGCM before the convening authority and may thereafter move the Armed Forces Tribunal. Brig Harish Mitra (retd) was the prosecution counsel while the accused was represented by Maj SS Pandey and Maj Piyush Thakran.The officer pleaded not guilty to the charges and had challenged the proceedings against him before the Armed Forces Tribunal, which on July 20 directed that the SGCM’s findings and sentence, if any, would not be implemented “without leave of the Tribunal”.According to the chargesheet, the accused, while serving as the Commandant of 166 Military Hospital in Jammu from August 2018 to January 2020, had procured various medical stores, including tablets, gels, ointments, dressings and other equipment, that were excessive both in quantity and costs.He had also allegedly given incorrect information regarding the availability of the stores and the suppliers in the Propriety Articles Certificates that was in contravention of the provisions of the Defence Procurement Manual-2009.Acting on an anonymous complaint, the Army had ordered a one-man inquiry into the allegations, following which a full-fledged court of inquiry was convened to determine the facts of the case. Based on the findings and recommendations of the court of inquiry, which concluded in September 2022, disciplinary action was ordered against him and he was attached to the 16 Corps headquarters at Nagrota for further proceedings.