Mumbai: Judicial clerk held for forging Magistrate's signature

The MRA police have arrested a judicial clerk of Ballard Pier court, for forging the Magistrate's sign on transfer papers

Maruti Salunkhe

The MRA police have arrested a judicial clerk of Ballard Pier court, for forging the Magistrate's sign on transfer papers. The matter came to light when the magistrate himself noticed some papers on his desk with the signature. The clerk was identified as Maruti Salunkhe (54), and remanded in police custody till February 20. Cops are likely to call the company officials who paid him to sign the transfer papers.

Salunkhe works in court number 33 that deals with cheque bounce cases. According to amendments in the Negotiable Instrument Act, cases have to be transferred to the courts coming under jurisdiction of police stations where the case is registered. Cases that are pending in court no 33 get transferred after the approval of the magistrate. A company approached Salunkhe and asked him to speed up the procedure. "In return, Salunkhe asked for some cash. He signed 105 papers as the magistrate," said a cop. "After noticing this, the Magistrate called Salunkhe to his chamber and sought an explanation. Salunkhe confessed to the wrongdoing, saying he just wanted to clear the pending work," the officer added.

"After receiving the complaint, we arrested him under IPC Sections 409, 419, 420, 465, 466, 467, 468 and 471," said DCP (Zone I) Dr Manojkumar Sharma.

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