Recently, the Allahabad High Court ordered a forensic examination of disputed signatures after noticing prima facie inconsistencies pointing to possible impersonation, forgery, and misuse of judicial proceedings in a pending PIL.
The Bench of the Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra issued the direction while hearing a Section 379 BNSS application filed by Respondent, alleging that the petitioner submitted a false affidavit and forged documents, including signatures attributed to his counsel.
The PIL, filed by an advocate-petitioner, challenged the 2023 Committee of Management election of Fateh Memorial Inter College, Kushinagar. During the hearings, Respondent accused the petitioner of colluding with Advocates AP Singh and an individual named Ashraf Ali to file multiple frivolous petitions using common contact details, fabricated documents, and forged signatures.
An affidavit by the son of the institution’s Manager further alleged that the petitioner forged his advocate’s signature on a withdrawal application, and that Ashraf Ali was a fictitious identity allegedly created and operated by AP Singh. He claimed Singh used the mobile number linked to Ali and shared the same online profile photo. The petitioner, however, denied the allegations.
The Court noted repeated instances where different individuals appeared claiming to be Ashraf Ali. On 20 August 2025, the person present was asked to sign before the Bench Secretary, and these signatures appeared inconsistent with those on the writ petition, withdrawal application, and courier sheet.
A Registry report also showed that 23 PILs had been filed in different combinations by the petitioner, Ashraf Ali, and AP Singh, prompting the Court to flag concerns regarding potential coordinated misuse of judicial processes. Without deciding this issue at this stage, the Bench focused on the signature discrepancies and directed a forensic comparison.
The Registrar General has been instructed to send the original writ petition, withdrawal application, the order sheet page containing signatures dated 20 August, the vakalatnama of Respondent's counsel dated 18 March 2025, and the courier run sheet to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow, after keeping photocopies.
The FSL must submit a clear report within one month on whether the signatures attributed to Ashraf Ali/A. Ali were made by the same person and whether the signatures of Respondent’s counsel match those on the vakalatnama.
The matter will next be heard on January 6, 2026.
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