Ex-Premier Indicted in Vote-Buying Case

Former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao was indicted in a vote-buying case hours after he appeared in a heavily guarded makeshift trial court on criminal forgery charges. The Central Bureau of Investigation said it charged Rao with conspiring to pay legislators from a regional party $100,000 to vote against a 1993 no-confidence motion, which Rao’s Congress (I) Party narrowly won. Charges were also filed against two other Congress Party members. Rao and other Congress leaders have denied any wrongdoing. The bribery charge against Rao carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, court officials said.