Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on two climbers who
claimed to be the first Indian couple to have climbed Everest, officials
say.
A government investigation concluded on Monday that photographs
purporting to show the pair at the top of the world's highest mountain
were faked.
Officials say the ban is intended to deter other climbers from making
spurious and dishonest claims.
The pair's claims to have reached the peak in May were queried by
climbers. 
They argued that photos showing Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod at the
summit were obviously doctored.
Nepal's tourism department initially certified their ascent but has now
rescinded that decision after conducting an investigation.
Tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal said that an analysis
of photos submitted by Mr and Mrs Rathod revealed they had superimposed themselves and their flag on photos taken by another Indian climber who conquered Everest.
"Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not
co-operate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that
assisted them are also absconding," Mr Dhakal said.
"The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics."
Mr and Mrs Rathod, who work as police constables in the western Indian
city of Pune, in July denied the claims, as did the guides who climbed
with them. But a climber based in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, Satyarup Sidhantha, later said that the photographs presented by the Rathods as "proof" of their climb actually belonged to him. Suspicions were further aroused because of the time lag between the day the Rathods claimed to have reached the summit and their news conference announcing their achievement. It was alleged that the couple could not possibly have reached the summit so soon after they were seen to have arrived at the base camp, and that the photos appeared to show them in two different sets of clothes and boots while on the climb.
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