THE former Indian prime minister, Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao, appeared in court yesterday charged with forgery by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Mr Rao appeared before the chief metropolitan magistrate in New Delhi amidst tight security. The trial was switched to a special venue at the request of Mr Rao, who feared for his safety from Sikh and Kashmiri militants. The former prime minister is accused of forging documents seven years ago when, as foreign minister, he attempted to defame Mr V.P. Singh, then opposition leader.
The allegedly forged documents attempted to show that Mr Singh, who became prime minister in 1989, and his son violated India's Foreign Exchange Regulation Act by opening a £13.12 million bank account on St Kitts Island in the Caribbean.
Three others involved in the St Kitts case - Mr Chandraswami, a self professed Hindu mystic, Mr Kailash Nath Aggarwal, his aide, and Mr K.K. Tewary, former junior foreign minister - were also produced in court.
Mr Rao and five others, including two members of his cabinet, were charged with paying £650,000 to a handful of deputies to secure a vote of confidence for his Congress-I government.
Along with Mr Chandraswami the former prime minister faces prosecution in yet another case, that of allegedly defrauding an expatriate Indian businessman from Britain of £625,000.
But Mr Rao, India's first exprime minister to face criminal charges, has yet to be formally charged in court in all these cases.
Mr Rao's five year term as prime minister ended in May, after his Congress-I party was voted out of office in the general elections. But he continues as the party's parliamentary leader, despite pressure to resign.
According to a recent countrywide survey, 87 per cent of respondents said the judiciary had been forced to step in as all politicians had lost credibility and were incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities.
. Policewomen in the southern Indian state of Karnataka are agitated over trousers which are to replace their traditional saree uniform. Some 1500 protesting policewomen have been recommended vigorous work outs to get their figures in shape for the new attire. Imposing the new dress regulation will not be easy for Karnataka's newly appointed director general of police.
At present Karnataka policewomen wear regulation khaki sarees and white blouses with epaulettes, while senior female police officers dress like the men.