Delhi LG sanctions prosecution against suspended IAS officer

A criminal case of forgery under Sections 465 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Rai at IP Estate police station

Lieutenant governor (LG) V K Saxena on Thursday granted sanction for the prosecution of IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for allegedly forging the signatures of the chief secretaries of Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar administration, on his Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APAR) during different periods of his posting between 2017 and 2021. The LG has also recommended the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for further action, officials from the LG secretariat said.

IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai is now posted in Mizoram and is under suspension. (HT Archive)

A criminal case of forgery under Sections 465 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or record) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Rai at IP Estate police station, on the complaint of special secretary (vigilance), Delhi government, after the case came to light in 2022. According to the Department of Vigilance, Rai in his APARs also allegedly forged the signatures of his then reporting authorities, including principal secretaries of various departments in Delhi as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

“During the investigation, it came to light that Udit Rai allegedly deliberately filled his APARs manually and not online, through the SPARROW Portal, citing technical glitches. However, during inquiry, two officers denied having reviewed the APARs of Rai and confirmed that the signatures on his APARs were forged. Even the FSL report confirmed that the specimen signatures and handwritings of these two officers did not match with those on Rai’s APARs,” said an official from the LG secretariat.