NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has denied bail to a lawyer accused of forging signatures of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the purpose of appointment as Special Public Prosecutor in the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The judge said the accused - Rakesh Kumar Awasthi - deserved no leniency on the ground that grave allegations were levelled against him.
"Keeping in view the nature and gravity of the offences involved applicant/accused deserves no leniency on the ground that he is a Legal Practitioner since 1991 as grave allegations of forging recommendation letters have been levelled against the applicant.
"Accordingly, the present bail application stands dismissed," Metropolitan Magistrate Ashwini Panwar said.
In his bail application, Awasthi had claimed that he had good antecedents and had been falsely implicated in the present case.
He denied preparing any forged document and claimed that he was innocent.
The prosecution, however, claimed that the accused was previously involved in similar type of offences.
According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly prepared letters by forging the signatures of Home Minister and UP Chief Minister for the purpose of appointment as Special Public Prosecutor in the Narcotics Control Bureau.