Bangalore, June 2: Flying Officer Anjali Gupta was certified mentally sound by a team of psychiatrists today and faced trial in a military court after a nine-day gap.

At the general court martial, the first witness, Wing Commander R.S. Choudhary, former adjutant at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), furnished documents relating to one of the charges against Gupta ? financial irregularities.

The woman officer, also accused of indiscipline and insubordination, allegedly drew Rs 1,080 as allowance for travel between Headquarters, Training Command, Bangalore, and the Air Force College in the same city for five days last year. The prosecution, represented by Wing Commander R.K. Dubey, said she drew a car allowance but travelled by scooter on all five days.

The defending officer, Group Captain R. Vijaykumar, said he would cross-examine the Wing Commander on Friday.

Wg Cdr Choudhary happens to be one of the three senior officers who figure in the complaint of sexual harassment submitted by Gupta to the chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, on April 7 as well as in a complaint lodged with the local police in February.

A court of inquiry, headed by Air Vice Marshal V.R. Iyer, adjourned the proceedings against the three officers after Gupta chose to concentrate on her defence at the court martial rather than substantiate her charge.

This morning, she appeared relaxed at the military court at the ASTE. She went through the court records for an update on the proceedings during her absence, but her plea for a copy was turned down by the presiding officer, Group Captain V. Ganesh.

IAF sources said Gupta was allowed to return to the officers’ mess after doctors ruled she was sane and would not harm herself.

On May 24, she was released from “close arrest” and put through psychiatric evaluation by a panel of medical specialists, service psychiatrists and a woman psychiatrist from Nimhans (National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences), Bangalore, to rule out suicidal tendencies.

The sources said her two women escorts were withdrawn and her mother Uma Gupta allowed to stay with Gupta in the officers’ mess. Gupta had been held under “close arrest” on the ASTE premises since April 9, 2005, to prevent her from harming herself.

Gupta’s family had expressed fear that she would be declared mentally ill and unfit to serve. This had prompted Air Chief Marshal Tyagi to issue a statement that the woman officer would neither be harmed nor be denied justice.