| New Delhi, Feb. 11: General V.K. Singh returned to New Delhi from Jaipur this afternoon, a day after losing his case in the Supreme Court, wondering if he should take the road to Gurgaon via London. The army chief has his own simple apartment in Gurgaon, the Delhi suburb about an hour's drive from Rajaji Marg's Army House that he currently occupies. But in the event that he decides to defer a decision to resign, that journey could take nine days. He is scheduled for an official visit to the UK from Monday and return to Delhi on the 20th. Cancelling the tour to UK, in the course of which he has appointments with not only his British counterpart but also the UK defence secretary, may have diplomatic implications. General Singh was closeted with family and friends at home since his return from Jaipur in the afternoon. There is no word from the army chief on whether he is resigning. A friend of the General's said: "Though the court said he is an honourable man, it will be difficult for the army chief and the government to work together not only because of the trust deficit but also because of bad blood." His modest apartment in Gurgaon, to which General Singh may retire, has none of the power and pelf of Army House. Should General Singh decide to resign from service — as most of his friends have been advising him — he will have to address the President, who is the supreme commander of the armed forces, and inform defence minister A.K. Antony. Despite having offices on the same floor of the integrated headquarters of the ministry of defence in South Block, Antony and the army chief are unlikely to come face-to-face over the next week. "If I were in his shoes, I would have resigned within an hour of what the court said yesterday," said Major General (retired) G.D. Bakshi, the officer with the handlebar moustache who is now a familiar face on television channels as one of General Singh's ardent and voluble supporters. "He is a General who has seen combat and such officers are held in high esteem by soldiers. But after this (court order) if he continues it will be a fall from grace," Bakshi added. Antony is also slated to go overseas on Monday. After inaugurating the 14th Asian Security Conference at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis in Delhi, Antony takes his flight to Saudi Arabia, the first visit by an Indian defence minister to the Islamic state. He will spend two days in Riyadh before returning to Delhi. Antony will be leading a high-level delegation, including defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen. S.K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Satish Soni and Air Vice Marshal M.R. Pawar. Since withdrawing his petition in the Supreme Court, the General has gone about business as usual. He left for Jaipur with his wife, Bharti Singh, where he and the South Western Army Commander, Lt General Gyan Bhushan supervised an exercise. "The Chief of Army Staff interacted with all officers of Jaipur Military Station. During the interaction, he impressed upon them the strengths and core competencies of the Indian Army and enjoined the officers to inculcate the deepest sense of professionalism while working in the interest of the nation," an army statement said. "He also stressed on the rich traditions and the value system base and emphasised the importance to remain focused on the job at hand while preparing for all contingencies." In the UK, General Singh is scheduled to visit the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst "the cradle of the Indian Army's leadership in pre-independence India." The chief, who a commando (Ranger), is also scheduled to interact with the UK's special forces. | 
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