No relief for tahsildar in certificate forgery case

A division bench comprising Justice PN Prakash and Justice V Sivagnanan before whom the plea moved by tahsildar C Maran came up, said: “In the teeth of the specific direction of this court on June 29, 2019, the police have registered an FIR. But after conducting a thorough investigation, the police may drop the case against Maran, if they find that he was not involved criminally in the making of the false document.”

“Therefore, it is too premature for this court to interdict the police investigation and quash the FIR,” the bench added while dismissing the quash petition moved by the tahsildar. His counsel had contended that Maran had issued the certificate based on the report put up by the Revenue inspector, who worked under him. He also submitted that when Maran knew that the record was improper, he took steps to cancel the same on May 30, 2014.

After finding that revenue and police officials had colluded in creating false certificates to protect the true perpetrator of the crime, a division bench had held that the accused, including the tahsildar, showed dereliction of duty for small benefits and were abettors in preparation of forged death certificate in the name of one Govindasamy. After knowing the facts and consequences, they subsequently cancelled the death certificate.