A man has been found guilty by a Delhi court for forging a letter allegedly issued by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This document was purportedly sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket for the accused in the 2019 Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections.

The ruling, handed down by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Jyoti Maheshwari at Rouse Avenue Court on March 30, determined that the accused, Shivaji Yadav, was guilty of offences related to forgery and the misuse of a false document. These charges fall under Sections 465 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code.

The court’s findings detailed that the forged letter was dated June 10, 2019. It incorrectly claimed to recommend Shivaji Yadav for the BJP ticket from the Lucknow Cantt assembly constituency. During the investigation, it was confirmed that this letter was fabricated and misrepresented as an official communication sent to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Evidence and Investigation Findings

The court outlined that a legitimate letter featuring the same dispatch number was indeed sent from the Chief Minister’s Office to the Ministry of External Affairs, contrasting sharply with the forged document sent to the PMO. Notably, parts of the forged letter, such as the date, dispatch number, and envelope details, were identified as being in Yadav’s handwriting.

Forensic examinations and witness testimonies further substantiated the claim that the document did not originate from the Chief Minister’s Office and did not possess the genuine signature of Yogi Adityanath. Moreover, mobile numbers mentioned in both the forged letter and the envelope were traced back to Yadav, establishing a direct connection.

Location data indicated that he was in Badlapur, Jaunpur, at the moment the letter was dispatched via speed post to the PMO. Despite the evidence, the accused denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was falsely implicated and questioning the absence of the Chief Minister as a witness during the trial.

Court’s Conclusions and Rationale

The court, however, dismissed these arguments, clarifying that the prosecution did not need to demonstrate a signature to establish the crime of forgery. It emphasised that tampering with any part of a document with the intention to deceive constitutes sufficient evidence for a conviction.

The judges concluded that the prosecution effectively presented a coherent sequence of events, encompassing the creation of the forged letter, its dispatch by Yadav, and its eventual receipt at the PMO. This evidence left little room for reasonable doubt regarding his culpability.

In delivering the sentence, the court stated that the accused knowingly attempted to utilise the forged letter to fulfil his political aspirations, aiming to secure a party ticket. The judgement reinforced that the misuse of names of constitutional authorities in forged documents severely undermines public trust and must be addressed with seriousness.

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