Court orders student's trial for seeking visa on forged docs

A special court has ordered prosecution of a youth who allegedly forged documents in a bid to get a student visa for Australia.
Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh passed the directions while dismissing an appeal filed by Ravneet Singh Cheema, a student from Patiala, Punjab who had sought setting aside of a magisterial court order on framing of charges against him for forgery and using forged document as genuine.
The judge upheld the magisterial court's judgement, saying "prima facie there is sufficient material before trial court to frame charge against the petitioner (Cheema)".
"As far as the present case is concerned, an application for grant of visa signed by the petitioner (Cheema) has been delivered to the Australian High Commission appended with a sponsorship letter which has been found to be forged," the court said.

Cheema's counsel argued that his client intended to go to Australia for further studies and needed a visa for this purpose.
He handed over his passport to Devender Singh Rajput for visa against payment of Rs 1.23 lakh as fee, the counsel said.

He claimed that it was Rajput who had submitted the visa application with the forged documents and not his client.
The prosecution, however, opposed the plea saying that Cheema admittedly signed on the application for grant of visa which was submitted to the Australian High Commission.
Along with the visa application a sponsorship letter of Aruna Chandok had been enclosed which was found to be forged, the prosecution said, adding that Cheema knowingly used a forged document to procure a student visa.

It said whether it was Cheema who did the crime is a matter of trial and cannot be considered at the stage of charge.