17 years after filing cancellation report, police to probe fraud case against DSP

Chief Judicial Magistrate Sachin Yadav has allowed an application filed by the Chandigarh Police for further investigation in a cheating case registered against DSP Ram Gopal.

The FIR for cheating and forgery was registered at the Sector 3 police station in 2008 on the basis of an inquiry by then DSP (CID). The inquiry was conducted after some cops had moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) alleging that Ram Gopal, who was on the rank of inspector then, had produced a forged document for winning a yoga championship held in Italy in October 1997.

However, on the basis of another investigation, the police filed a cancellation report in the case in 2008, which was accepted by the court. It was claimed in the cancellation report that Ram Gopal was a member of the wining team and a certificate along with a gold medal was also awarded to him in this regard. It was also stated that the case was investigated on merit basis in which five independent witnesses were examined and reply of the President of Italian Yoga Federation was received through Indian Embassy in Italy.

In the application submitted by the SHO, Sector 3 police station, it has been stated that initially, the cancellation report in the present case was accepted by the court. Now, an inquiry by senior officers recommended that the case be further investigated. It has been stated that the statements of co-team members were to be recorded and their certificates were to be examined again.

The inquiry report recommended that the certificates of the accused must be examined by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, which was not done earlier.

Section 193 (9) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, empowers the court to order further investigation if some new evidence or material is in the knowledge of investigating agency and this provision allows further investigation even when the initial investigation is complete and a report has already been filed.

While disposing of the application, the court observed that the application was allowed in view of the provisions of the BNSS. The investigating officer was directed to further investigate the case and submit a report at the earliest.