Congress leader Tytler acquitted in 2009 visa forgery case
A Delhi court on Tuesday acquitted former Congress MP Jagdish Tytler and businessman Abhishek Verma in a case of cheating and forgery linked to a fake letter used to assure visa extensions for Chinese telecom officials back in 2009.
Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court found the evidence insufficient, leading to the acquittal of both the accused.
The prosecution had argued that in 2012, Tytler and Verma forged a letter using the letterhead of then Union Minister Ajay Maken.
The letter, allegedly addressed to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, falsely indicated that visa rules for Chinese nationals were being relaxed.
This was purportedly done to sidestep a 2009 directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigner Division), which mandated all foreign nationals on business visas to leave India upon the expiry of their visas by October 2009.
According to the CBI’s investigation, officials of a Chinese telecom firm had approached Verma, seeking a way around the government directive. It was alleged that Tytler and Verma used the forged letter to convince the Chinese officials that visa regulations were being eased and, in the process, obtained illegal benefits from them.
Ajay Maken had lodged a complaint then after discovering the forgery, prompting the CBI to file charges under various sections of the IPC, along with provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
