Infant trafficking:Court slaps more charges on doc,NGO workers

A Delhi court has charged a doctor and two NGO workers with cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy for colluding in preparing fake birth certificate of a girl child in the sensational infant trafficking case of 2010.
The court slapped additional charges on the accused while hearing a revision petition filed by the state against the trial court order which had booked the doctor only for the offence of forgery and cheating.
Charging accused doctor Atul Thapar of Kamlesh Medical Centre with forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Hemani Malhotra said that there is sufficient material and documents on record that he forged and manufactured a number of documents to create record of birth of the infant given to a woman, who did not deliver any baby herself.

"Hence, I am of the opinion that charges under sections 420(cheating), 465(forgery), 468(forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471(Using as genuine a forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy)of IPC are required to be framed against him," the judge said.
The court also booked two NGO workers who ran orphanage, Shobha Gupta and Ranjeeta Bhasin, with cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy charges.
"As per the evidence collected on record accused Ranjeeta Bhasin was instrumental in preparation of documents like fake admission to Kamlesh Medical Center, discharge slip, entry in the admission register and register maintained qua information given to MCD online. She was also a tool in inducing the beneficiaries (concerned persons who received children) to part with substantial amounts with a promise to deliver legal adoption documents," the court said.

"Both accused Ranjeeta Bhasin and Shobha Gupta used to work in tandem. I am of the opinion that there is sufficient material on record to frame charges for commission of offences under sections 465, 420 and 120B of IPC apart from offences under Section 368 (keeping in confinement a kidnapped person) and 120B of IPC," the judge said.

The trial court had charged Ranjeeta Bhasin and Shobha Gupta with confining a kidnapped person and criminal conspiracy only.
The court, however, refused to interfere with the trial court order of booking fourth accused Pawan Kumar for offences of confining a kidnapped person and criminal conspiracy saying there is no evidence regarding his indulgence in preparation or use of any forged document as genuine or to cheat any person after preparing such a document.

The trial court had booked Dr Atul Thapar for offences under section under section 465 (forgery) and 417(cheating) of IPC only.