Mumbai: Woman who obtained BMC job with fake documents gets bail

The BMC headquarters. File pic

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to a 41-year-old woman who was arrested in November last year on the charges of forging documents and securing a job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) based on those documents.

The HC also directed action to be taken against the BMC officials and agents who helped the woman secure the job by verifying the fake documents.

According to the police, the woman had been working for 12 years as a sweeper in the civic body's S ward in Bhandup. The crime was uncovered by the BMC deputy commissioner and an investigation revealed that she had secured the job using fake documents, following which she was suspended.

Jagdish Kala Solanki, the deceased BMC employee

According to the police, the woman, a resident of Chinchpokli, had secured the job by submitting an affidavit claiming she was the wife of deceased Jagdish Kala Solanki, a former employee at the BMC. After Solanki's death, the woman submitted a proposal for a compassionate appointment, falsely claiming to be his wife.
According to police, Solanki had worked as a sweeper since 1990 and died in 2008. Investigations revealed that he was unmarried and had not nominated a legal heir in his service records.

The woman, who came to know about this, provided fabricated documents with the help of agents, and the fake records were submitted to BMC, and she was appointed as a sweeper on a compassionate basis on November 5, 2012. The woman also took advantage of the deceased's legal heir benefits, said police.

A probe revealed that the service record of Solanki showed that he had not named a legal heir, a fact known to the BMC officials. Despite this, the woman's job application was approved. As a result, she had been receiving a substantial salary for over 12 years, despite not being entitled to the position. However, the BMC had failed to take action against the officials who approved the documents.

The woman was granted bail with a bond of R5 lakh, under the condition that she will not tamper with prosecution witnesses or evidence in any way and will attend every trial date. She has also been prohibited from engaging in any criminal activity and from leaving India without prior permission from the trial court.

The woman told mid-day, "Some agents gave me this job, and I paid money to them 12 years ago. Now, I am jobless after working for BMC for 12 years. I am married, have a 14-year-old daughter, and live in a rented flat. I should get my job back as a sweeper in BMC. The officers involved in this crime should be punished for giving me the job and making the forged documents. I am innocent."

Advocate Sunil Pandey, who appeared on behalf of advocate B M Bachate for the accused, said that the woman is a victim of circumstances.

The advocate said that the BMC employees were involved directly as they were made witnesses. There is no evidence to link the crime with the woman, said the advocate, adding that a defective and incomplete charge sheet has been filed to protect the employees of BMC.

"This is the worst case of victims getting trapped in a false case, and also there is no expert report or opinion that this woman is a victim and illiterate and has no knowledge of consequences," said Pandey.

12
No. of years accused worked as a sweeper