HC clears 3 in fake RT-PCR case, imposes ₹10k cost each

The case was registered after the society’s security staff and chairman noticed discrepancies in RT-PCR certificates submitted by the three

MUMBAI: Nearly five years after three residents of a Mumbai housing society were booked for allegedly fabricating negative RT-PCR reports to bypass Covid-19 entry protocols during the lockdown, the Bombay high court has quashed the criminal case, observing that the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic had left “many people being on the brink of losing their sanity”.

HC clears 3 in fake RT-PCR case, imposes ₹10k cost each

The case was registered after the society’s security staff and chairman noticed discrepancies in RT-PCR certificates submitted by the three. Verification raised suspicion that the reports had been tampered with.

During the probe, police found that one of the accused had allegedly used a laptop and Adobe Illustrator to digitally create fake negative RT-PCR reports purportedly issued by Metropolis Laboratory.

The matter remained pending for nearly five years. The housing society subsequently passed a resolution saying that no actual harm or illness had been caused to its members. It also cited the young age and future of the accused and gave its no-objection to quashing the proceedings.

A single-judge bench of Justice Milind Jadhav quashed the FIR registered in 2021 for offences including cheating and forgery. The court said the three would “get the benefit of doubt in view of the exigency that was involved”, referring to the circumstances during the pandemic.

However, the court imposed a cost of ₹10,000 each on the three, observing that “an act of crime will remain as an act of crime”.

The ₹30,000 total cost has been directed to be paid to A K Munshi Yojana’s J T Sheth Mandbuddhi Vikas Kendra, a Mumbai special school that provides education, early intervention and vocal training to children and young adults with special needs.