Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
The forgery committed on Gopabandhu’s Will having been exposed, President of Utkalmani Newspaper Employees Association Sri Deviprasanna Nayak had put the information before the IIC of Cantonment Police Station, Cuttack on May 12, 2015 demanding criminal action against the members of the Servants of the People Society as well as a retired IAS officer Suresh Chandra Mantry and a former Editor of the paper Sri Gopalkrushna Mohapatra, for use of the forged Will despite knowing that the same is forged. After inordinate delay of around three weeks, the IIC has registered the FIR on May 31, 2015, under sections 420/465/467/468/471/34 IPC, which are the major penal provisions against the crime of forgery. The punishments under these sections are very stiff.
Section 420 stipulates that “whoever cheats and thereby dishonestly induces the person deceived any property to any person, or to make, alter or destroy the whole or any part of a valuable security, or anything which is signed or sealed, and which is capable of being converted into a valuable security, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Section 465 mandates, “Whoever commits forgery shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Section 468 provides for life imprisonment or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and fine. Under this section whosoever is not give life imprisonment, shall be punished with imprisonment up to ten years with fine. Its language is: “Whoever forges a document which purports to be a valuable security or a will, or an authority to adopt a son, or which purports to give authority to any person to make or transfer any valuable security, or to receive the principal, interest or dividends thereon, or to receive or deliver any money, moveable property, or valuable security, or any document purporting to be an acquittance or receipt acknowledging the payment of money, or an acquittance or receipt for the delivery of any moveable property or valuable security, shall be punished with *[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine”. * Subs. by Act 26 of 1955, s. 117 and Sch., for “transportation for life” (w.e.f. 1-1-1956).
Section 468 provides that “Whoever commits forgery, intending that the *[document or Electronic Record forged] shall be used for the purpose of cheating, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine”. * Subs. by Act 21 of 2000, sec. 91 and Sch. I, for “document forged” (w.e.f. 17-10-2000)
But Section 471 is for users of forged Will. The fellow who uses a forged Will shall be punished with imprisonment and fine. It says, “Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any *[document or electronic record] which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged **[document or electronic record], shall be punished in the same manner as if he had forged such **[document or electronic record]. * Subs. by Act 21 of 2000, sec. 91 and Sch. I, for “document” (w.e.f. 17-10-2000). ** Subs. by Act 21 of 2000, sec. 91 and Sch. I, for “document forged” (w.e.f. 17-10-12000)
And, Section 34 provides punishment to gang of criminals. It says, *”When a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such persons is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone”. *Subs. by Act 27 of 1870, sec. 1, for the original section.
So, the criminals in the forte of the Samaja and SoPS are now to face the law that calls for imprisonment and fine.
The two fellows who had forged the Will of Gopabandhu – former ministers of Orissa and editors of the paper, Radhanath Rath and Lingaraj Mishra – have died before their crime was detected. Another criminal Manu Bhai Patel has died recently. Another accused – Santosh Kumar Muduli is also dead. Udaynath Sadangi whose name is in the written information is also dead. The trade union shall demand for posthumous punishment to them as they were individually and collectively perpetrators and users of the forgery.
Some other fellows who have been named in the FIR, but not shown as accused, will hopefully come to books by the time the charge sheet would be ready.
The accused enlisted by the investigating officer, pending final updatation of the list, are: (1) Manubhai Patel, (2) Raj Kumar, (3) Deepak Malviya, (4) Vimsen Yadav, (5) Prasanna Vadan Mehta, (6) Onkar Chand, (7) Niranjan Rath, (8) Kirtibhai Pandya, (9) Ajay Kumar, (10) Gopalkrushna Mohapatra, (11)Suresh Chandra mantry, (12) Santosh Kumar Muduli and (13) Lingaraj Mishra. The first and the two last accused persons are, as mentioned supra, dead.
(Note: The 12th accused is not an accused in reality. He is one of the victims of the offenders. The IIC has inadvertently mentioned his name and prefixed it with a nonextistence mark, in place of, according to him, late Radhanath Rath.)
The living culprits have a gang of hounds from the pull of retired IAS officers, IPS officers, and Judges in their service as advisors, who are lobbying for killing of this FIR. They have also a powerful ally in Chief Minister’s Office, who, despite being a junior officer is being regarded as ‘Super Chief Minister’ from whom Cabinet Ministers and Secretaries including the Chief Secretary are getting instructions as if from the Chief Minister. His protection to Samaja hijackers is a great obstacle in action against located culprits that stay safe in the ramparts of the Gopabandhu Bhawan. The inordinate delay in registration of the well documented FIR is because of their pressure.
We in orissamatters.com have regularly investigated into and detailed the crime and our book “The Samaja in Maze of Forgery”, very ably compiled by Sri Deviprasanna Nayak is a highly well documented book of rare meticulousness that has become an instant seller. The first edition is at the verge of necessitating a second edition, according to its publisher Sri Pabitra Mohan Maharatha. The reports of orissamatters.com are being posted by the ‘Save the Samaja Forum’ in savethesamaja.com and the ‘save the samaja’ page in social media: Face book. It is noteworthy that the page is getting ever increasing ‘like’s everyday, which indicates that the people all over Orissa have been keeping alert eyes on this matter and appreciating the exposure.
So, despite lobby by the pack of hounds – former IAS, IPS, IFS Officers and Judges – the case cannot die sans action.
With this case, a new chapter in the history of mass action against crime by fellows, who have been dazzling under the arch of journalism misusing the media power of the Samaja, is going to be written in golden letters.
Orissa, keep watch.