The Indian SC dismissed the petition against him. Not acquitted him in a trial and alongside passed a note that the cases against him can still go on.
OK, some clarifications.
The defence was not that there was no encounter. There was, and that has been stated so clearly.
The defence was not, as you have assumed, that Bikram Singh was injured, and therefore not guilty. He was ONE of FOUR casualties, a Colonel and a jawan dead, and Brigadier Singh and another officer wounded. It isn't very frequent in the Indian Army to knock off an officer and an OR, and injure two more officers to fake an encounter. The point also being that Bikram Singh was NOT the only casualty, and the question of his being merely grazed is not an argument against the seriousness of the encounter; it happened, and a secessionist was killed. The NGO says it was a fake encounter. There was no evidence that they had to bear this out, it was just a bald statement.
The case going on is in the J&K High Court. The Supreme Court saw nothing adverse about General Bikram Singh in the evidence presented, but also saw no reason to interfere with the existing case. It applied its mind where it was asked to, and left the rest alone.
I understand, but does that prove he was not involved at all? It is irrelevant, IMO. Not enough for a trial I understand, but enough to cast doubt.
Umm, OK, let's take a closer look.
1. The Commander wrote to the Indian authorities stating that several babies born in that region "had distinctly Indian features". I'm not very sure how to assess Bikram Singh's 'direct involvement' in this.
2. Major Ghuman of the SLI was put on trial for hiring a prostitute. Direct involvement? Failure to take action? He wasn't supposed to, but someone who WAS, did act.
3. Three soldiers were convicted of beating up a Charley who sold them 'fake gold dust'. They were, fairly and properly, put on trial, and now they're for the high jump.
I can only smile at this being supposed to affect a perfectly normal succession. Wouldn't you?