Noting that as Army Chief he has a “right to retire with dignity” after 40 years in service, General V K Singh has said that his writ petition before the Supreme Court is not an “afterthought urged only in the wake of impending retirement”. In his petition, he said the government’s “arbitrary and illegal” declaration of his date of birth as 10.5.1950 and the ensuing controversy has affected his reputation and image both before the general public and the armed forces.