New Delhi, 07 April (H.S.):

Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has convicted an accused in the high-profile case involving a forged letter purportedly from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recommending a BJP ticket for the 2019 Lucknow Cantt Assembly by-election.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Jyoti Maheshwari declared Shivaji Yadav guilty; the court will determine the quantum of sentence on April 20.

In 2019, Yadav allegedly sent a fake letter to the Prime Minister's Office seeking the BJP nomination for Lucknow Cantt. The CBI investigation confirmed the document was neither issued by the CMO nor bore authentic signatures, lacking proper procedural authentication.

CBI evidence revealed Yadav's handwriting on the letter's date, dispatch number, and envelope details, corroborated by forensic analysis and witness statements. Mobile numbers listed traced back to him, with location data placing him in Badlapur, Jaunpur, from where the letter was dispatched via speed post.

The court noted Yadav fabricated authenticity by reusing a genuine CMO dispatch number originally sent to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Dismissing his claim of a false case, the judge ruled it constituted misuse of constitutional offices, convicting him under IPC Sections 465 (forgery) and 471 (using forged document as genuine).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar