A court in Agra has sentenced a man to three years in prison for submitting a fake affidavit to secure a police job in 1999, concluding a case that dragged on for nearly 27 years. Bhojraj, a resident of Hathras district, was found guilty of cheating and using forged documents to join the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).
27-year legal battle over forged documents
The case began in 1998-99 when authorities detected irregularities in Bhojraj’s application for a constable post. A complaint by then-clerk Pradeep Kumar Verma led to an FIR at Agra’s Tajganj police station on January 1, 1999. Charges included cheating and document forgery under relevant sections of the law.
Police filed a chargesheet on May 31, 1999, after investigating the recruitment fraud. The trial unfolded in the court of Special Chief Judicial Magistrate Shivanand Gupta, where prosecutors presented witness testimonies and documentary evidence to prove the fraud.
Verdict and penalty details
The court convicted Bhojraj of obtaining government employment through fraudulent means. In addition to the three-year prison term, it imposed a fine of Rs 3,000. Non-payment of the fine will result in further imprisonment, as per the judgment.
Prosecution officer Rajesh Kumar confirmed the affidavit submitted by Bhojraj was proven false during proceedings. The ruling closes a decades-long legal saga tied to a recruitment fraud case from the late 1990s.
