He then commanded an Infantry Brigade from December 1988 to February 1991 at Ranchi, Bihar and Punjab and was then appointed the General Officer Commanding an Infantry Division in Punjab from March 1991 to August 1992.

It was during his tenure as the XV Corps Commander, that the Army made big gains over the militants in Kashmir and could even scale down its operations.

He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for his services as the XV Corps Commander.

Padmanabhan retired on 31 December 2002, after completing more than 43 years of distinguished military service.

[6] Gen. Padmanabhan was also an author of Indian military fiction, including the 2004 novel Writing on the Wall, the plot of which involves India fighting a war simultaneously with Pakistan while improving relations with China.