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RS bypoll nominations: FIRs filed against Jaipur man for forging Punjab MLAs’ signatures
The names of the MLAs have not been disclosed yet. The Punjab Police revealed that the FIRs have been registered as the police stations from where these MLAs were elected.
The Punjab Police on Monday registered a series of FIRs against Navneet Chaturvedi of Jaipur after complaints lodged by at least 10 MLAs of the state legislative assembly for forging their signatures on the nomination papers submitted to contest the Rajya Sabha seat, which fell vacant after the incumbent Sanjeev Arora resigned.
The names of the MLAs have not been disclosed yet, and as revealed by the state police, the FIRs have been registered as the police stations from where these MLAs were elected.
The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after AAP leader and Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora resigned from the Upper House to contest the recent Ludhiana West assembly seat byelection. Arora was later inducted into the Bhagwant Mann cabinet and given the industries and commerce portfolio. The election to the lone RS seat is expected to take place on November 21.
“The FIRs were registered after a section of members of the legislative assembly, Punjab, lodged a complaint alleging forgery of their signatures on nomination papers submitted by one Navneet Chaturvedi of Jaipur, Rajasthan, claiming to be the national president of the Janata Party, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Punjab,” said an official spokesperson of the state police.
He added that the complainant MLAs have stated that they received messages and social media posts indicating that their names had been mentioned as proposers in the nomination papers filed by Chaturvedi before the secretary, Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
Chaturvedi has filed two nominations for the Rajya Sabha, one on October 6 and the other on October 13. In their complaint, the MLAs stated that it was found that a handwritten list of proposers, purportedly bearing the signatures of these MLAs, had been attached to the nomination papers, and the same was being circulated on digital platforms.
The MLAs have categorically denied having signed or supported the said nomination, and have alleged that their names and signatures were forged and fraudulently used without consent. The forged documents, submitted before a constitutional authority, constitute a serious offence involving forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.
“Based on these complaints, FIRs have been registered at different police stations in the constituencies of the complainant MLAs against Chaturvedi and other unknown persons. Investigations have been initiated to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify other individuals involved, and collect forensic and digital evidence,” adds the spokesperson.
The Punjab Police has taken serious note of the matter, considering it as an attempt to mislead constitutional authorities and the public by falsifying official election documents. Further updates will be shared after initial investigation reports are received, he added.
