The Court of City Judge (Judicial Magistrate 1st Class), Srinagar, has convicted Saqib Faheem Kachroo, son of Mohammad Ashraf Kachroo and resident of Bohlochipora, Soura, in a case involving forgery and attempted fraud in a government tender related to the supply of science materials.
The case was registered under FIR No. 48/2004 at Police Station Crime Branch Kashmir following a complaint by the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir. The department had invited tenders for the purchase of chemistry lab materials from ISI/ISO-certified manufacturers and dealers, as per notification No. DSEK/Acctt/Science,Chemistry/18/1745 dated 14.11.2003.
During the scrutiny of tenders, it was discovered that M/s Marinex Chemie, a local unit near Gole Masjid, Bohlochipora Soura, had submitted a purported ISO-9000 certificate allegedly issued from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The document was found to be fake, and the tender was submitted with the intent to mislead and cheat the department.
A preliminary enquiry was conducted, which confirmed the fraudulent nature of the certificate. Consequently, the Crime Branch Kashmir registered an FIR and began a detailed investigation.
The investigation revealed that Saqib Faheem Kachroo was responsible for producing the forged certificate and attempting to defraud the government for personal gain.
The charge-sheet was presented before the court on July 22, 2008, and charges under Sections 511 (attempt to commit an offence), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (use of forged document), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) were formally framed against the accused.
After the trial, the court found Saqib Faheem Kachroo guilty and sentenced him to two years of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000 under Section 420 RPC. He was also sentenced to two years' simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000 each under Sections 468 and 471 RPC, and one year of simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 5,000 under Section 511 RPC.
The court further ruled that in case of default in payment of the fines, the accused will have to undergo an additional six months of simple imprisonment. All the sentences will run concurrently.