Mamlatdar in dock for dying declaration fraud

This May,the Gujarat High Court ordered an inquiry into the genuineness of the dying declaration after Patel’s family members alleged that a false declaration was created with the connivance of certain officials from the Panchmahals district administration and the local police to turn the murder into an accidental death.

Arrest orders against Kalota and Chuchla were issued for giving false statements as witnesses.

According to the victim’s family,Sulaiman Ranger,the owner of a bone crushing factory,and his brother,killed Patel because the deceased had an affair with Ranger’s daughter. They accused Ranger of using his clout to turn the murder into an accidental death.

But according to the legal counsel,Parimal Pathak,one of the witnesses,Sadiq Hussain Mallah,who testified the dying declaration,had died in 2002.

The dying declaration was signed by the accused official,Manoj Mishra,said Pathak. Relatives further found through the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 that Iqbal was kept in the emergency ward of Godhra Civil Hospital,where as in the dying declaration it was stated that he was kept in the female ward. “There were discrepancies in the fingerprints as well,which were later confirmed by forensic tests,” said Pathak.

More shocking was Patel’s postmortem report which showed he had 16 internal and 26 external injuries and had not died of haemorrhage as otherwise claimed. The postmortem report showed that Patel was tied up with ropes before he was beaten up.

More disturbing were the call records of the accused,Ranger and his seven relatives,who have been named in the FIRs which showed the complicity of the local officials,Pathak added.