CBI seeks six weeks’ time to submit final inquiry report in HC document forgery case

PATNA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday sough six weeks’ time from the Patna high court to submit final inquiry report in connection with seeking bail by some murder accused persons by hoodwinking high court by forging documents.

The forgery came to light in June 2016 when Munchun Kumar Rai, one of the prime accused in murder case of a property dealer Sonu Kumar, moved high court for regular bail.

Sonu was shot dead near Sipara rail gumti under Beur police station on night of June 25, 2013. On basis of statement of Sonu’s brother Anand Kumar, seven persons namely Munchun, Nagina Rai, Ajay Yadav alias Pandit Ji, Ganesh Kumar, Munna Kumar, Raghunath Rai and Gudia Devi were made named accused in the murder case. Anand had alleged it was Munchun who had shot Sonu in head.

Munchun later attempted to seek regular bail from bench of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh by forging FIR and web-copies of high court order sheets in which he showed that co-accused Munna, Ganesh and Nagina were granted bail in past by high court. He also concealed information that he had twice moved high court earlier for seeking bail but both were rejected.

It also surfaced that Munchun’s bail was filed using the FIR number of Beur police station but instead, Masaurhi police station was shown in database of high court records so that no officials could track if he had moved for bail earlier too.

The detailed hearing by Justice Singh by calling original records, opened can of worms and it surfaced that accused Nagina, Munna and Ganesh had also secured bail from high court in past by forging documents including FIR and concealing facts in bail petitions.

The matter was immediately handed over to CBI for investigation who lodged an FIR in the case. Two advocates Jai Kumar and Ranvijay Singh had also come under court’s scanner for forgery and their practice licence were suspended.

Justice Singh simultaneously also ordered that no advocate would be allowed to take back bail petitions after initial stamp reporting on name of removing defects and if any, it would be done at registry section under CCTV surveillance. He also ordered advocates would be responsible for verifying of facts in bail petitions.

The Munchun’s forged bail petition was later turned into a PIL by the high court. It was only after this forgery that Bihar police initiated uploading FIRs in public domain after a high court’s order.