Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 2: The Economic Offences Wing – Crime Branch Jammu has filed a preliminary charge-sheet, totaling 301 pages, in connection with a case registered under FIR No. 11/2017 U/S 420, 465, 468, 471, 120-B RPC at P/S Crime Branch Jammu. This case pertains to a husband-wife duo, Gurbaksh Singh (also known as G.B. Singh), who served as the Managing Director of Kissan Institute of Technology in R.S Pura, and Bharti Bhat, who held the position of Principal at the same institute. The accused have been charged with cheating students by providing them with fake diploma certificates for trades such as Plumber and Electrician.
The accused individuals posed as Managing Director and Principal of Kisan Institute of Technology R.S. Pura, Jammu, despite not being authorized to conduct such examinations and issue diplomas for various National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT) trades. These fake diplomas were subsequently used by students to secure employment in the PHE Department as skilled workers.
The case was initiated following a complaint filed by Harpreet Singh and others against the Executive Engineer of the PHE Department, Division Poonch. The complaint alleged that individuals with Plumber and Electrician diploma certificates from Kissan Institute of Technology R.S. Pura were employed by the Executive Engineer as need-based casual laborers. However, subsequent verification revealed that these diploma certificates were counterfeit.
Further investigation disclosed that the Directorate of Technical Education had suspended the permission and affiliation granted to Kissan Institute of Technology, R.S. Pura, Jammu, as an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) for running courses under NCVT and SCVT.
This suspension was in effect from August 2016 onwards, and the institute was not authorized to admit students in any of the trades. Nevertheless, the institute, in contravention of the established regulations and standing orders, unlawfully admitted students and issued them fraudulent diploma certificates, which were then used by the candidates to fraudulently secure government employment.
The investigation, supported by material evidence in the form of documentary records and a FSL report, in addition to statements from complainants and witnesses, has established that the accused knowingly deceived students by providing fake Plumber and Electrician diploma certificates for NCVT and SCVT trades.
The accused individuals have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
In a separate development, the Economic Offences Wing - Crime Branch Jammu has also filed a charge-sheet in another case (FIR No. 68/2022) under similar sections for judicial determination. |
