Telecom official sent to jail for forging letter in PM's name

A former telecom department official has been sentenced to three and half years in jail for forging letters in the name of the then Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and HD Deve Gowda to get a transfer to Sagar in Madhya Pradesh where his family was staying.

Additional Sessions Judge Narinder Kumar convicted former senior assistant Gurdeep Singh, along with three of his accomplices, noting that he not only forged the letters but faxed them to his seniors in the telecom department in Madhya Padesh from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) office here to hoodwink them.

The court convicted Singh for committing forgery in collusion with Manoj Kumar, the driver of erstwhile private secretary of Gowda and two NHRC sweepers, Ashok Kumar and Sanjay Kumar.

The four persons had utilised letters written by the two former PMs to the then NHRC Chairman Justice MN Venkatachaliah to “cut and paste” the National Emblem and lift signatures of Vajpayee and Gowda to make a recommendatory letter for his transfer from Chattarpur to Sagar, where his wife, a school teacher, was residing.

The trial in the case saw some top bureaucrats from the Prime Ministers Office, the telecom departmart and NHRC appearing in the witness box and deposing.

The court convicted Singh and sentenced him to three and a half year jail term along with Rs 30,000 as fine considering “all the facts and circumstances, the gravity of the offences and the modus operandi adopted by them in commission of crime, even by going to the extent of forging signatures of the two Prime Ministers of India”.

The court also sentenced the other three accused to three years jail along with a total fine of Rs 40,000 on them.

Singh along with others had forged two “recommendatory letters” in October 30, 1998 and February 25, 1999 purported to have been signed by Gowda and Vajpayee and sent them to the Chief General Managar Telecommunication, MP Circle, through fax along with application for transfer from Chattarpur to Sagar Division.

To prove Singh’s guilt, the prosecution had examined 25 witnesses which included then Director in the PMO, additional private secretary in the office of two former PMs, the DGM (Administration) Telecommunication, MP and officials working at NHRC.

“From the report of the expert and the discussions this court comes to the conclusion that letters and accompanying application were forged, used and faxed from the office of NHRC, New Delhi to office of CGM Bhopal, as a result of conspiracy between Gurdeep Singh, Sanjay and Ashok Kumar and Manoj to get Gurdeep Singh transferred,” the court said.

The court convicted them for offences punishable under section 468 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents) 120­B (criminal conspiracy) 420 (cheating) of IPC.  CBI had registered a case in 1999 on the basis of a complaint from the Prime Minister’s office.

CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said after thorough investigation, a chargesheet was filed on January 28, 2000 in the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi under the various sections.

PTI