The summons, asking Rao to be present in person on September 30, had been issued by special judge Ajit Bharihoke on Saturday. The court is expected to frame charges against the former Prime Minister on that day.
According to sources, a team of officers of the premier investigating agency served the summons on him in person at his official residence in the forenoon. They said that when the team reached 9, Moti Lal Nehru Marg, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and Indian Youth Congress president Maninderjit Singh Bitta were confabulating with Rao. No other senior party leader was present.
While a senior CBI official refused to confirm or deny whether the summons had been served, sources said the former Prime Minister looked disturbed. The CBI team returned immediately after the formalities had been completed.
Two others, Chandraswami and his associate Kailash Nath Aggarwal, have been in judicial custody for over four months for their alleged role in the cheating case. Chandraswami is alleged to have received $100,000 from Pathak and had promised to secure lucrative government contracts in return.
The NRI businessman, while recording his statement before the court, had alleged that Rao, the then external affairs minister, had promised Pathak that his work would be done.
In another case that could implicate the former Prime Minister, one of the main accused in the JMM bribery case, Shailendra Mahato, is expected to record his confessional statement before Bharihoke today. The recording of the statement has been postponed thrice for a variety of reasons.
TALK OF THE TOWN
* I would not like to say anything till the Congress elects its provisional president -- Arjun Singh, working president of the All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)
* The decision he has taken is in the interest of the party. He has also kept in mind the highest traditions of the Congress. This was one of the wisest decisions which he could take. But that does not mean that he loses his pre-eminence in the party -- Congress Working Committee member Ghulam Nabi Azad
* It is an unfortunate development for the Congress and the country that Narasimha Rao has decided to step down and I do not welcome it: former Union minister S S Ahluwalia
* Rao should reconsider his decision -- TNCC president Kumari Ananthan
* Rao has resigned in the best traditions of the Congress after the court verdict against him ... The party will stand by him and support him in his court cases -- Congress Working Committee member Balram Jakhar
* Rao has acted in the true traditions of the Congress -- Veerappa Moily, former Karnataka Chief Minister
* Rao should have resigned earlier -- Chitta Basu, general secretary, All India Forward Bloc
* The resignation of P V Narasimha Rao as Congress president would not affect the country's current political scenario -- L K Advani, Bhartiya Janata Party president
* Narasimha Rao should continue in his post -- Karnataka Pradesh Congress committee leaders K Sundara Murthy, K B Krishna Murthy and Tayta Rao Kamble
* Rao has upheld the Congress tradition of integrity in public life -- former Ranchi regional Congress committee general secretary Roshan Lal Bhatia
* Rao was trapped in the cheating case under a political conspiracy against him and the party. Therefore, he should not step down from his office:-- Punjab Youth Congress president Bhupesh Sharma
* P V Narasimha Rao has upheld the highest political traditions by resigning from the presidentship of the Congress: --- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh
