Golf enthusiast retired JCO alleges discrimination by AEPTA

A retired junior commissioned officer (JCO), who served 24 years in the Army, has alleged discrimination after he was not allowed the membership at the Army Environmental Park and Training Area (AEPTA), Army Golf Course.

Prem Goswami, a golf enthusiast, has alleged through his plea filed in the Delhi High Court that he was not given a membership by the AEPTA despite appearing for the aptitude test five times because they are following a policy of not including the JCOs as its members.

Goswami retired as a class II Gazetted Officer of the Army 18 years ago and has been struggling to get AEPTA membership. He is presently working as a general manager and head HR at a multinational company in Noida.

According to the plea filed through his counsels Setu Niket and Esha Majumdar, in 2009, Goswami being a golf lover and an ex-service personnel, enquired telephonically from the AEPTA, about the green fee that would be charged from him in case he would want to use the Golf Course on the lines of an earlier letter of the Army Headquarters that Defence Services Personnel, including ex-servicemen (Army, Navy and Air Force) would be entitled to play on the Army Golf Courses.

However, …read more