Delhi court orders charges to be framed against Food Safety Officer Sunil Kumar Sachan and two others in a 20-year-old corruption case involving the renewal of a Kerosene Oil Depot (KOD) licence using the forged signature of a deceased man.
In 2005, Sachan allegedly approved the renewal of the licence for Shiv KOD in Gokulpur, Northeast Delhi, despite the fact that one of the licence holders, Dunger Singh, had died more than a year earlier. On August 18, Special Judge Dr. Ruchi Aggarwal Asrani of Rouse Avenue Court directed proceedings to move forward against Sachan, Simpal Garg, and Rajeev Kumar, citing strong suspicion of forgery and conspiracy.
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Court Finds Evidence of Forgery and Conspiracy
The case traces back to an FIR filed in 2006 by Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Investigators alleged that Sachan, in collusion with Garg and Rajeev Kumar, forged Singh’s signature to secure illegal financial benefit for Rajeev Kumar, a partner in Shiv KOD.
Key evidence emerged during the probe. While Singh had consistently signed in English on all official documents from 1986 to 2002, the 2005 licence renewal application bore a neat signature in Hindi. Singh’s brother and daughter-in-law confirmed to authorities that he had died on August 5, 2004, nearly a year before the application date of July 12, 2005.
Further complications arose when investigators discovered two separate death certificates. One, issued by the Gram Panchayat Adhikari and Registrar of Births and Deaths in Baghpat, recorded Singh’s death as August 5, 2004, while another stated October 2005. The court observed that conflicting dates appeared to have been provided to shield the accused.
Judge Rejects Earlier Closure Report
The court highlighted that Sachan had attested signatures and photographs of Singh when he was “allegedly not alive,” raising grave suspicion of misconduct. Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports also confirmed the signatures were forged.
Earlier, the ACB had filed a closure report, but this was dismissed by the judge’s predecessor, who pointed out the discrepancy in signature styles. The court noted that Mr. Dunger Singh had always put his signature in English, except the last application for renewal in 2005. Judge Asrani emphasised that the evidence demonstrated a conspiracy between the accused, warranting the framing of charges nearly two decades after the alleged crime.
