MR Virbhadra Singh has become the third minister in the UPA-II cabinet to resign on a corruption charge. The five-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh dismissed the charges, which pertain to a case filed in 1989, as ‘totally fabricated’.

However, the fact remains that the charges were framed by a court of law. The reason for the long delay in framing charges might have something to do with the balance of power in the hill state and now that a BJP government is at the helm of affairs, the prosecution was given the green signal to pursue the case. The very fact that the court has framed charges shows that there is a prima facie case against Mr Singh, his spirited defence of his integrity notwithstanding. For the UPA, the development is another embarrassment, although it needs to be mentioned that the charges were not related to the UPA regime but independent of it. It also goes to show that eventually the long arm of the law will strike even the high and mighty, despite best attempts to thwart it.