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INDORE: An IAS officer was arrested in Indore on Saturday night, on the complaint of a judge, for allegedly forging two court orders related to a case against him for alleged ‘criminal intimidation’ of a woman. Santosh Verma, 51, is accused of using the forged documents to get promoted from state cadre to IAS.
It’s the first time that an IAS officer has been arrested in Madhya Pradesh on such a charge. The complaint against the bureaucrat was filed by judicial magistrate (first class) Bijendra Singh Rawat, who was hearing the criminal intimidation case against him, SP Ashutosh Bagri told TOI.
Verma, an additional commissioner with urban administration department, was arrested by police after 12 hours of sustained interrogation. “He had produced forged orders for his promotion to IAS cadre. But on the date mentioned in the orders, the judge was on leave,” SP Bagri said.
The IAS officer was produced before a local court on Sunday and judge Dilip Parmar remanded him in police custody till July 14.
The earlier case against Verma dates back four years when police booked him for ‘voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and circulation of obscene material’ on the complaint of a woman.
In 2020, the departmental promotion committee was considering awarding IAS cadre to Verma, who was then zilla panchayat CEO, but queries came up on the pending criminal case.
Verma allegedly produced a ‘settlement order’ on the dispute with the woman, and an ‘attested copy of an acquittal order’, dated October 6, which he presented on October 8.
The department sent the orders to the office of inspector general police to check if an appeal could be filed against the acquittal. The district prosecution office (DPO) checked court records and found that it was a single order for settlement and acquittal while Verma had allegedly produced two orders. The DPO sent a report that appeal can’t be filed in the case.
When the woman got to know of it, she wrote to the chief secretary, saying there had been no court ruling regarding settlement or acquittal. The probe was till on when judge Rawat filed a formal complaint with police on June 27.
Investigators say Verma tried to pass the blame to the woman, alleging that she had given him the forged orders, but his claim fell flat when it was revealed that it was she who had moved court, leading to discovery of the forgery.
It’s the first time that an IAS officer has been arrested in Madhya Pradesh on such a charge. The complaint against the bureaucrat was filed by judicial magistrate (first class) Bijendra Singh Rawat, who was hearing the criminal intimidation case against him, SP Ashutosh Bagri told TOI.
Verma, an additional commissioner with urban administration department, was arrested by police after 12 hours of sustained interrogation. “He had produced forged orders for his promotion to IAS cadre. But on the date mentioned in the orders, the judge was on leave,” SP Bagri said.
The IAS officer was produced before a local court on Sunday and judge Dilip Parmar remanded him in police custody till July 14.
The earlier case against Verma dates back four years when police booked him for ‘voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and circulation of obscene material’ on the complaint of a woman.
In 2020, the departmental promotion committee was considering awarding IAS cadre to Verma, who was then zilla panchayat CEO, but queries came up on the pending criminal case.
Verma allegedly produced a ‘settlement order’ on the dispute with the woman, and an ‘attested copy of an acquittal order’, dated October 6, which he presented on October 8.
The department sent the orders to the office of inspector general police to check if an appeal could be filed against the acquittal. The district prosecution office (DPO) checked court records and found that it was a single order for settlement and acquittal while Verma had allegedly produced two orders. The DPO sent a report that appeal can’t be filed in the case.
When the woman got to know of it, she wrote to the chief secretary, saying there had been no court ruling regarding settlement or acquittal. The probe was till on when judge Rawat filed a formal complaint with police on June 27.
Investigators say Verma tried to pass the blame to the woman, alleging that she had given him the forged orders, but his claim fell flat when it was revealed that it was she who had moved court, leading to discovery of the forgery.
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