Smriti Irani Orders FIR as Forged Letter to UP Varsity Comes to Light

New Delhi: The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has directed that an FIR be lodged after it came to light that a communication was received by a private varsity in Moradabad on a forged letterhead of Union Minister Smriti Irani directing it to reinstate a sacked faculty member.

The ministry has sought an action taken report regarding the issue from the Moradabad based Institute of Foreign Trade and Management (IFTM) which had terminated the services of three faculty members on grounds of indiscipline and fake degrees earlier this year.

The issue came to light when the institute sent a communication to the HRD ministry on June 10 with the letter attached directing for reinstatement of the faculty members, ministry officials said.

The minister's letterhead as well as signature was forged, baffling the ministry, they said.

IFTM is a private university set up under the Uttar Pradesh Government 2010 Act and is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

"The institute became apprehensive on receiving the communication directly from the minister about reinstatement of one of the three faculty members and sought the ministry's direction in this regard," officials in the HRD ministry said.

"On receiving the letter, we got into the act asking the institute to file an FIR on the forged letter and the action taken report," they added.

The forged letter dated March 25 purportedly noted the "grave and disgraceful matter about the IFTM University" and objected to the "unjustifiable dismissal" of a particular applicant.

The letter "directed" the university that the "applicant be taken back into service with immediate effect" and that he be paid his salary from May 31, 2014 when he was dismissed.

IFTM's pro vice-chancellor Mohit Dubey said that an FIR will be lodged in this connection this week.

"We found it to very strange that the minister herself would step in directly on such an issue and hence decided to check with the HRD ministry. As directed to us, the university will lodge an FIR in the matter this week," he said.