Delhi LG Sanctions Prosecution of IAS Officer Udit Prakash Rai in Signature Forgery Case

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved the prosecution of IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for allegedly forging signatures of Chief Secretaries from Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Administration on his Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) during various periods of his service.

The LG has also recommended forwarding the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for further action. According to an official statement from the LG’s office, Rai, a 2007 IAS officer, is accused of falsifying signatures of his reviewing authorities, including the Chief Secretaries of Delhi and A&N, between 2017 and 2021. A criminal case of forgery under sections 465/471 IPC has been registered at IP Estate Police Station, following a complaint from the Special Secretary (Vigilance), GNCTD.

The statement revealed that Rai, during his tenure as Director (Education) in the GNCTD, was considered a close associate of the AAP government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. It is alleged that Rai forged signatures of his reporting authority, H Rajesh Prasad, the then Principal Secretary (Education), and the reviewing authority, Vijay Kumar Dev, the then Chief Secretary of Delhi, in his APARs for the period from August 31, 2020, to March 31, 2021.

The LG’s office noted that Rai manually completed his APARs, bypassing the SPARROW Portal, citing technical issues. However, the inquiry revealed that two officers, Anindo Majumdar and Vijay Kumar Dev, denied reviewing Rai’s APARs, confirming that the signatures were forged. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report further confirmed discrepancies between the specimen signatures and those on Rai’s APARs.

The LG’s office has now recommended disciplinary and criminal action against Rai, who is currently posted in Mizoram and under suspension. Since Rai is stationed outside Delhi, his case does not require routing through the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA).

Additionally, Rai is under suspension in another corruption case, accused of accepting bribes while serving as Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Agriculture Marketing Board and of demolishing a heritage structure for constructing his official residence in Delhi’s Jal Vihar, incurring a cost of Rs 5 crores.