Narasimha Rao acquitted in cheating case

Monday, 22 December 2003, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: A court here Monday acquitted former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, self-styled godman Chandraswami and his aide K.N. Aggarwal alias Mamaji in a $100,000 cheating case. All three were charged in what has come to be known as the Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case. Acquitting the three, special judge Dinesh Dayal said, "The statement of Lakhubhai, since dead, on whose complaint the case was registered is not reliable, so all the three accused are acquitted of the charge." Lakhubhai Pathak, a London-based businessman, had accused all three of cheating him of $100,000 on the promise of being awarded the contract for supply of paper pulp to India. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that Pathak handed over the money to Chandraswami on Rao's assurance that the contract would be awarded. Pathak had died during the trial. This was the third criminal case to have been filed against Rao and in which he has been cleared now. In 2001, he was convicted in a bribery scam involving four MPs but was acquitted by the Delhi High Court. The Supreme Court acquitted him the same year in a forgery case involving Ajeya Singh, son of former prime minister V.P. Singh.
Source: IANS