Bala Husein, 30, will have a court hearing in November seeking reinstatement in the Border Security Force (BSF), a paramilitary service stationed at India's frontiers and active in anti-insurgency operations, The Hindu daily said.

Husein, who filed his case in 2000, said he wanted to set a precedent for people in the armed forces with HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

Husein, who now works as a security guard for a New Delhi-based private firm, said he was told he could no longer serve in the BSF after he disclosed he was carrying the virus.

"An inspector told me to leave my unit. He told me I was not fit to work any longer as I will die soon," Husein said in a television interview.

S.K. Jha, director-general of the BSF's medical unit, said Husein was dismissed not only due to his HIV but also because he was suffering from tuberculosis and herpes.

Eighty-six BSF personnel have tested positive for HIV, according to The Hindu.

In July, the government said that some 4.58 million Indians were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2002, a significant leap in the figure of 3.97 million the previous year.

India has more HIV-positive people than any country except South Africa.

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