Wednesday, May 4 2005 14:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Indian Air Force (IAF) officer Anjali Gupta was referred to the Command hospital for health checkups today (May 4, 2005) after she reported ill and did not turn up for the court martial proceedings against her on various charges, including indiscipline and financial irregularities.

The Court of Inquiry, constituted separately by the IAF to look into the sexual harassment charges made by her against three officers, also could not hold its proceedings due to her absence, citing illness.

IAF prosecutor Wg Cdr R D Dubey alleged that Anjali was feigning illness to evade the court martial proceedings and she has been referred to the Air Force Command Hospital for further health checkups.

"She is feigning illness so that she evades (being in the court martial). Why would she not want the daily diet?" he questioned, adding that Gupta, who is under close arrest (meaning house arrest), was instead consuming large amounts of mango juice. Dubey sought adjournment of the court till tomorrow (May 5, 2005).

IAF officials said the four member Court of Inquiry team, headed by Air Vice Marshal V R Iyer, was waiting to record the statement of Gupta, an education officer of Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) on her charges of sexual harassment but could not do proceed due her absence.

Meanwhile a former IAF woman officer, Sqn Ldr Sangeeta Gupta Nair told reporters that "muck is being thrown" with the sexual harassment charges and "there was not an iota of truth" in the charges.

Nair, among the first woman commissioned officers of the IAF in 1993, who worked briefly with Gupta and also with two officers against whom she has made the charges, said, the IAF had well laid down procedures to inquire into these type of charges.

Nair, who spent about 12 years with the IAF, said even though she worked with Gupta for a month and spent about six months in the same officers campus, she knew that Gupta had a "history of misconduct".

"Two of the officers she has charged have daughters who are slightly younger than Gupta," she said.

Stating that she had not encountered sexual harassment during her tenure, Nair said, "It really hurts that the IAF has been dragged unnecessarily by insensitive statements by a person who wants to protect herself for the mistakes she committed."

Anjali is facing seven charges including falsely claiming road settlement allowance and train fare, besides behaving in a manner unbecoming of an officer.