Mumbai: The Judicial Magistrate First Class of the Esplanade Court has acquitted a 75-year-old man, Vasant Soneji, who was accused of allegedly committing forgery in connection with the transfer of an electricity meter to his name. Hence a complaint was registered in 2015 against Soneji with the Marine drive police station by his real sister, Hema Tejani.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond doubt that the accused had forged a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Badrikeshwar Society, his place of residence.

The case was filed by Soneji’s real sister, over a dispute regarding ownership of a flat in Badrikeshwar society, originally belonging to their late father, Gangaram Soneji. A testamentary suit regarding the property is already pending before the Bombay High Court.

During her inquiries with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the complainant discovered that the electricity meter for the disputed flat had been transferred to Vasant Soneji’s name based on an NOC allegedly issued by Badrikeshwar Society on October 7, 2009.

When the complainant contacted the society, it denied issuing any such NOC and suggested that the document might have been allegedly forged. This led to a complaint being filed with the Marine Drive Police Station.

The police arrested Soneji, took his specimen signature, and gathered statements from witnesses, including society officials and representatives from the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) department.

After examining the evidence, the court noted significant gaps in the prosecution’s case, ruling that the allegations of forgery were not sufficiently substantiated. The court in its orders held that the forensic report did not conclusively confirm that the handwriting on the NOC matched Soneji’s. Furthermore, there was no evidence to suggest that someone else had forged the document at his behest.

The court further observed that there was no clear requirement for an NOC to transfer the electricity meter. The prosecution failed to establish whether BEST even required such a document for the process.

The court while passing its judgment held that the prosecution had failed to establish an unbroken chain of evidence linking Soneji to the alleged forgery. Since key elements of forgery and cheating—such as fraudulent intent and inducement—were not proven, the court acquitted him of all charges.