LG's nod to prosecute IAS officer for forgery

New Delhi : Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has granted sanction for the prosecution of IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for allegedly forging the signatures of three chief secretaries of two Union Territories on his annual performance appraisal reports (APAR), Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday.

The Lt Governor has also recommended the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further action, they added. There was no immediate reaction from Rai. A 2007 batch IAS officer, Rai allegedly forged the signatures of his reviewing authority -- the chief secretaries of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Delhi -- between 2017 and 2021, officials said.

A criminal case of forgery has been registered against Rai at the IP Estate Police Station on the complaint of the Special Secretary (Vigilance) of the Delhi government, they added.

During the investigation, it came to light that Rai, deliberately filled his APARs manually and not online, through the SPARROW Portal, citing technical glitches he added. "However, during the inquiry, two officers Anindo Majumdar and Vijay Kumar Dev, 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 officers did not match with those on Rai's APARs," he added. The matter was earlier placed before the LG and due to its seriousness, he had recommended initiating disciplinary and criminal action against Rai, now posted in Mizoram and under suspension.