Bangalore, Jan 6 (IANS): The Karnataka High Court Friday served notice to the Bangalore police commissioner for not registering an FIR against former cricketer Anil Kumble in an impersonation and forgery case.
Serving the notice, Justice S. Abdul Naseer directed the police commissioner to explain by next week why a First Information Report (FIR) was not registered against Kumble, who had been accused of forging the signature of petitioner Kumar V. Jahgirdar in an application for renewing the passport of the latter's minor daughter Aaruni Kumar Jahgirdar in April 2011.
Though Kumble married Jahgirdar's wife Chetana Ramtheertha in 1999 after they legally separated, the Supreme Court upheld the family court's ruling granting joint custody of Aaruni to both while maintaining the petitioner's right over the 17-year-old daughter as her natural father and legal guardian.
The court also served notice to Bharatinagar police station in the eastern suburb.
"The Bharatinagar police station did not register the FIR and initiate criminal proceedings against Kumble for committing the cognizable offence even after its sub-inspector Pramod Kumar received my complaint Dec 26," Jahgirdar told IANS.
"I have also complained to the police commissioner (Jyotiprakash Mirji) Dec 29 against Kumar for not filing the FIR though they were bound to do so under section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) but the latter too did not act," Jahgirdar said.
Jaghirdar came to know that his ex-wife had applied for renewal of Aaruni's passport, which expired in 2009 and had to be renewed from documents he obtained last month from the passport authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
"As per the rule, a declaration has to be made by the father in the case of a minor even for passport renewal. Chetana made a declaration without intimating me. In my daughter's application, while my name was mentioned as her father, Kumble had impersonated me and signed it, which is a criminal offence," Jahgirdar asserted.
The petitioner also claimed that the signature in his daughter'' renewal application resembled that of Kumble as it was similar to the signature in the latter'' passport.
"While impersonating me, Kumble affixed his signature fraudulently in Aaruni's renewal application, which is a cognizable offence under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Jaghirdar reiterated.
Though Kumble declined to comment as the matter was sub-judice and personal, the police commissioner's office said the high court notice had been referred to the legal department for opinion.
"He will reply to the notice appropriately after getting the legal opinion from the department concerned," a police official said.