Maha: Two booked for misusing national emblem

Two persons have been booked by Thane police in Maharashtra for allegedly misusing the national emblem on letterheads and visiting cards, police said Tuesday.

One of the accused, Lalman Pandey, allegedly posed as an official of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by using the national emblem on his letterheads and visiting cards, a police spokesperson said.

According to rules, the Emblem of India can only be used as per provisions of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act-2005 and any unauthorised use is punishable under law.

Based on a complaint received from the NHRC, the city police conducted a probe and found that Pandey also posed as a member of the central government's Hindi Advisory Board by using fake letterheads and visiting cards with the national emblem printed on them, the spokesperson said.

She said Pandey claimed that one Gulam Ali Khan met him at the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and gave him an appointment letter and visiting cards of the NHRC on January 22, 2019, following which the accused ran an office of the human rights body at Kalyan town here.

Pandey also appointed five persons from Pune as office-bearers of the NHRC, he said.

Following the probe, the police on Monday registered offences against Pandey and Khan under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 465, 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and the Emblems and Names Act, he said, adding that no arrest was made so far.