NEW DELHI. Mar 2: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to reinstate charges against the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in a 23 million dollar bribery scandal, Press Trust of India news agency said, reports AP.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had appealed a lower court ruling last year that it had failed to produce sufficient evidence against LK Advani, the BJP's president. The Supreme Court upheld the earlier ruling Monday.

Advani was among 25 political figures and 18 bureaucrats facing trial for accepting bribes from a business family in return for public contracts or other favours.

His Hindu-nationalist BJP is expected to win the most votes in India's ongoing parliamentary elections, but not enough to govern without partners. Its candidate for prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is considered more moderate than Advani, the party presi-