Fake Fractures scam R.I.P March 14 - Sept 26
By requesting a court to allow them to drop forgery charges against builders’ children who faked injuries to get bright boys to write class XII papers for them, the cops have confirmed our worst fears
By Vijay Zala and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 28, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror Cover Story)
By Vijay Zala and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 28, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror Cover Story)
Justice has already been delayed in the fake fractures impostor writers scam, and now, the cops are making sure it is denied altogether.On Friday, the Gujarat University police, investigating the case, appealed to the metropolitan court to drop charges filed under Sections 467 (producing fake documents) and 468 (submitting documents knowing they are fake) of the Indian Penal Code against the accused, which includes class XII students Harsh Kotak and Komal Patel.
Harsh and Komal — who faked fractures on their writing hands to engage brilliant students to write the
ir chemistry exam on March 14 — are children of prominent builders Pravin Kotak and Sanjay Patel respectively.Harsh and Komal were helped by Muktak Kapadia and Raja Pathak, managing trustees of H B Kapadia High School and Swastik High School respectively, who provided them writers, and H N Chavda, secretary, Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), who went to the A G High School, where Harsh and Komal were giving the exam, to ensure they could cheat without any hitch.
ir chemistry exam on March 14 — are children of prominent builders Pravin Kotak and Sanjay Patel respectively.Harsh and Komal were helped by Muktak Kapadia and Raja Pathak, managing trustees of H B Kapadia High School and Swastik High School respectively, who provided them writers, and H N Chavda, secretary, Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), who went to the A G High School, where Harsh and Komal were giving the exam, to ensure they could cheat without any hitch. Senior inspector in-charge of the case, B M Rajpara, confirmed the police told the court there was no need to charge the accused under Sections 467 and 468. “We examined the documents submitted by the GSHSEB and there is no need to charge the accused under these two sections,” Rajpara said.It is quite obvious why the cops want the charges under Sections 467 and 468 dropped. Section 467 carries a maximum punishment of ten years and/or a fine and conviction under Section 468 can send an accused behind bars for seven years.
Raja PathakThis move by the police states the obvious: the investigating agencies are doing whatever it takes to shield the accused. However, Inspector Rajpara said, “It’s not that we are trying to protect anyone. Investigations are still on and we will go after the guilty.” The officer’s statement, however, is not backed by the ground realities. Harsh and Komal were caught red-handed way back in March. The involvement of Kapadia, Pathak and Chavda was established by the testimonies of students, teachers and writers. The police also have the medical reports from the civil hospital saying there were no fractures on Harsh and Komal’s hands.However, there has not been a single arrest made by the police in the case. The Education Board did ban Komal and Harsh from appearing in exams for three years on May 8, but it did nothing to punish Kapadia, Pathak and Chavda. Once again, will we see money power succeed in derailing justice?
Raja PathakThis move by the police states the obvious: the investigating agencies are doing whatever it takes to shield the accused. However, Inspector Rajpara said, “It’s not that we are trying to protect anyone. Investigations are still on and we will go after the guilty.” The officer’s statement, however, is not backed by the ground realities. Harsh and Komal were caught red-handed way back in March. The involvement of Kapadia, Pathak and Chavda was established by the testimonies of students, teachers and writers. The police also have the medical reports from the civil hospital saying there were no fractures on Harsh and Komal’s hands.However, there has not been a single arrest made by the police in the case. The Education Board did ban Komal and Harsh from appearing in exams for three years on May 8, but it did nothing to punish Kapadia, Pathak and Chavda. Once again, will we see money power succeed in derailing justice?
