Fake licence case: Faridkot RTA secretary gets anticipatory bail

A Sangrur court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Faridkot regional transport authority (RTA) secretary Hardeep Singh in a case of allegedly issuing a backdated

A Sangrur court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Faridkot regional transport authority (RTA) secretary Hardeep Singh in a case of allegedly issuing a backdated driving licence to a resident.

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A case was registered against Hardeep under Section 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) at the Longowal police station.

Rajinder Singh of Kanakwal Bhanguan village of the district had lodged a police complaint in October alleging that backdated licence using fake documents was being issued from RTA office, Faridkot. The Sangrur police had registered a case in this connection against a clerk in the Faridkot RTA and two agents for issuing a fake licence.

After further probe, the police booked RTA secretary Hardeep Singh and assistant transport officer Gurnam Singh for colluding with the clerk.

The Faridkot RTA has also conducted a departmental inquiry wherein it was found that driving licences and vehicle registration certificates (RCs) were issued through backlog entries in 2019 in violation of rules. A total of 260 driving licences were suspended for violation of rules and 96 registration certificates (RCs) were blacklisted for incomplete documentation and non-payment. A junior assistant was suspended.

Police probe and information available with the RTA revealed that in 2019, the accused junior assistant had issued over 500 driving licences to people with dubious credentials.