Delhi Court grants Anticipatory bail in case involving forged signature of Minister Anurag Thakur, defence claims loan dispute

New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): A Delhi court has granted interim anticipatory bail to the accused of impersonating an official from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Anurag Thakur, and allegedly defrauding a complainant of Rs 16 lakh by promising discounted iPhones and electronics.
The prosecution alleged that Dasgupta forged official documents, including the signature of Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Deputy Director Priyanka S. Agarwal, to present herself as a government representative. The MCA later confirmed that no such authorisation, employees, or transactions existed.
Appearing for the accused, namely Oindrila Dasgupta, the defence team led by Advocate Sumit Gehlot, along with Manju Gehlot and TS Thakran of Fidelegal Advocates & Solicitors, countered that the FIR was rooted in a civil monetary dispute and not a criminal conspiracy.
Advocate Sumit Gehlot submitted that the complainant had loaned Rs 15.65 lakh to Dasgupta under a notarised loan agreement dated March 26, 2021, of which Rs 10.30 lakh had already been repaid.
According to the lawyers, the remaining Rs 5.35 lakhs became the basis for filing a false criminal case after a post-dated cheque was misused.
Advocate Gehlot stressed that Dasgupta is a single mother of two with a professional background in companies like Voonik and agri-tech consultancy, and had cooperated fully with the investigation.
The defence legal team also emphasised that no custodial interrogation was needed, as the case relied entirely on documentary evidence and the accused was willing to provide handwriting and fingerprint samples to refute the forgery charges.
Additional Public Prosecutor Himanshu Garg, appearing for the State, opposed the bail, citing previous criminal cases against Dasgupta in Bengaluru and the risk of her tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses. The prosecution also questioned the jurisdiction of the complaint, which was initially filed at PS Inderpuri.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler, who heard the matter at Patiala House Courts, noted the conflicting narratives and the pending forensic examination of the documents.
The court also took cognisance of the defence argument that the initial Investigating Officer, Kavish Lakra, is the real brother of key witness Vikas Lakra, who had prior financial dealings with the accused.
In light of this conflict of interest, the investigation was previously transferred from PS Inderpuri to the District Investigation Unit (DIU), West Delhi, on April 22, 2025.
Considering all circumstances, the court granted interim anticipatory bail until the receipt of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report.
The court granted bail on the subject to certain conditions: Dasgupta must furnish a personal bond with one surety, provide an active mobile phone number, cooperate with investigators, and refrain from contacting witnesses or tampering with evidence. (ANI)