Section 179: Complaints by soldiers, ratings and aircraftmen

(1) If a soldier, rating or aircraftman thinks himself wronged in any matter by an officer or by a soldier, rating or an aircraftman, he may make a complaint with respect to that matter to his commanding officer.
(2) If a soldier, rating or an aircraftman thinks himself wronged in any matter by his commanding officer, either by reason of redress not being given to his satisfaction on a complaint under subsection (1) or of any other reason, he may make a complaint with respect thereto to any Army, Naval or Air Force officer under whom the complainant is for the time being serving, being an officer not below the rank of brigadier or corresponding rank.
(3) On receiving a complaint under this section, a commanding officer shall investigate the matter and grant any redress which appears to him to be necessary.
(4) Subject to subsection (1) of this section, a soldier, rating or an aircraftman who feels he has been wronged in any matter shall first exhaust the administrative remedies available to him under this section before embarking on any other action.
(5) An initial complaint by a soldier, rating or an aircraftman to his commanding officer under subsection (1) of this section shall be made not later than three months of the wrong in respect of which it is brought, and where the soldier, rating or aircraftman has not obtained the redress to which he thinks himself entitled he may make a further complaint in the prescribed manner to the authority prescribed under subsection (2) of this section not later than three months of the complaint or of receiving the unfavourable redress, as the case may be.
(6) No soldier, rating or aircraftman shall be penalised for having made a complaint in accordance with this section so far as the complaint does not contravene any provisions of this Act.