DECEMBER 23: The consumer disputes redressal forum (Mumbai district) has issued summons to the Mumbai police for refusing to examine alleged false signatures on a cheque issued by a bank.

The forum had sent the disputed cheque and the form of specimen signatures to the Chief State Examiner of Documents, CID, (Maharashtra) in March, 1997. The cheque for Rs 5,000 belonged to S M Gawde, who had complained to the forum that the Saraswat Co-op Bank Ltd, Madhukendra branch, Dadar had failed to notice that his signature on the cheque was forged.

Despite a government circular and instructions by the Director General of Police (DGP) directing all police departments to obey the orders from the consumer forums, the CID department returned all the documents unexamined, stating that permission was not granted by the Special Inspector General of Police, State Crime Record Bureau (Crime), Pune, according to counsel for the complainant Jehangir Gai arguing the police have no discretionary power to refuse to examine documents and are duty bound to carry out the forum's orders.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.