HC declines to quash FIR in loan fraud case involving ex-MLA Subhash Choudhary

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition seeking quashing of a seven-year-old FIR registered in a case of alleged loan fraud. Former MLA Subhash Choudhary, among others, is an accused in the case.

The FIR, dated October 15, 2018, was registered at Buria police station in Yamuna Nagar for cheating, forgery and other offences under Sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B IPC on the complaint of the Branch Manager of Yamuna Nagar Central Co-operative Bank’s Odhri branch. It alleged that barren land was mortgaged by showing it as cultivable for availing loan facilities.

Appearing before Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya’s Bench on accused Deep Chand’s plea against the State of Haryana and another respondent for quashing the FIR, the State counsel contended that sufficient material had been found during investigation that the petitioner, along with co-accused, “committed forgery and manipulated the revenue records to submit false documents with a view to defrauding the bank”

Dismissing the petition, Justice Dahiya held: “It cannot be said that the offences alleged against the petitioner are not made out even prima facie on the face of the allegations, nor is it a case of mala fide or vexatious prosecution. Accordingly, finding no merit in the petition, it stands dismissed.”