NAGARAJ Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner, who was arrested and remanded to judicial custody on 24/3/2022, for the offences punishable under Sec. 465, 468, 471, 419 and 420 of I.P.C., in Crime No.294/2022, on the file of the respondent police, seeks bail.

(2.) The complaint was given by one Ms.Vasantha dtd. 17/02/2022 addressed to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Cuddalore, disclosed that, she availed loan of Rs.30,000.00 from Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited two years ago and she was repaying the loan every month regularly through one Ms.Durga Devi, the leader of the Self Help Group. While so, Mr.Nagarajan, a staff of the Bank, who is responsible for loan collection informed her that Ms.Durga Devi has not remitted the instalment money into the bank, therefore, she has to pay the dues. Along with Nagarajan yet another person aged about 25 to 27 years also came and insisted her to pay the dues. On 01/07/2021, they collected Rs.1500.00and gave a signed receipt. On 14/02/2022, they came again and served a notice purported to have been issued by the Legal Services Authority (LSA), Cuddalore, for appearance before the Lok Adalat scheduled to be held on 15/02/2022. When she went to the Legal Services Authority, on 15/02/2022 and showed the summons, she was informed that, District Legal Services Authority, Cuddalore, did not issue the said summon and no Lok Adalat for Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited is permitted or scheduled on that date. Realising that, she has been duped by serving fake notice, she requested the Legal Services Authority, to take action against the persons who have forged the Legal Services Authority, notice to make unlawful gain.

(3.) On receipt of the complaint, the DLSA, Cuddalore, has addressed a letter to Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited to verify about the fake summon issued on their behalf for the Lok Adalat, dtd. 15/02/2022. The said Bank has conducted enquiry through their Vigilance Sec. and found that one Mr.Senthil Kumar, Collection Officer of Vadalur Branch being impressed by the success of Lok Adalat held on 04/12/2021 has fabricated the summon to collect the loan amount for a defaulter by name Ms.Vasantha. The said Senthil Kumar has confessed that this is the only case he fabricated the Lok Adalat summon and will not indulge such act.