Charges framed against Tytler, businessman in forgery case

CBI special judge framed charges dealing with cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy of Indian Penal Code and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act

A Delhi court on Wednesday framed charges against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and arms dealer Abhishek Verma, accused of forging a letter addressed to then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2009.

Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna framed charges dealing with cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy of Indian Penal Code and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Tytler and Verma pleaded not guilty and claimed innocence in the case.

The case was filed on a complaint of the then minister of state for home Ajay Maken, that a forged letter on his letterhead was written to the prime minister by businessman Abhishek Verma seeking easing of business visa norms in 2009.

Tytler and Verma were charge sheeted under the IPC in the case for the offence of attempting to cheat and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has alleged that Tytler had "actively connived" with Verma to cheat a Chinese telecom firm and the Congress leader had first shown a "fake and forged" letter to the company's officials, claiming it was written by Maken to the prime minister.