Maj Gen Vijay Kumar Korpal is the new Army JAG

New Delhi: Major General Vijay Kumar Korpal is the new Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Indian Army, taking over from Maj Gen Praveen Kumar, who retired last month. Before joining as new Army JAG, Maj Gen Korpal was serving as the Deputy Judge Advocate, Headquarters Eastern Command at Kolkata. He belongs to Jalandhar, Punjab and is an alumnus of DAV College, Jalandhar.

Judge Advocate General performs the role of the chief legal adviser to the Chief of the Army Staff. He is the legal and judicial chief of the Indian Army.

As one of the oldest departments of the Army, the JAG branch, consisting of legally qualified army officers, is responsible to handle all legal matters of the Army including Court Martials.

Post-independence it was the JAG branch that took up the task of drafting the new Army Bill which was introduced in the Constituent Assembly on December 21, 1949, and it received the assent of the President on July 22, 1950, bringing into existence the Army Act, 1950.

What does Judge Advocate General (JAG) do?

The Judge Advocate General's (JAG) is the legal branch of the Indian Army. JAG deals with military-related disciplinary cases and litigation and assists in providing legal assistance to the army in human rights matters and the rule of law among other things. It consists of legally qualified Army officers who are educated in military law and provide legal help to the military in all aspects.

Precisely, JAG is the legal and judicial chief of the Indian Army and advises the Chief of the Army Staff of legal matters. The JAG's Department is also responsible for emerging fields of military law such as those related to cyber laws, space laws, terrorism and human rights violations. The service rendered in the JAG is considered to be Judicial service as per the regulations for the Indian Army.

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