Bhopal : Congress MLA Arif Masood has been booked on charges of fraud and forgery in Madhya Pradesh’s capital following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The case relates to the alleged use of forged documents for securing recognition of a private college linked to the legislator.
Confirming the development, Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra told IANS, “Bhopal police have registered an FIR against Arif Masood. Action has been taken on the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s direction. Masood has been booked, and further investigation is underway.”
The FIR pertains to allegations of submitting forged solvency documents in connection with Indira Priyadarshini College, a private institution run by a society in which Masood serves as secretary. The matter has been under scrutiny for years and recently came to a head after a ruling by a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The bench, comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Pradeep Mittal, ordered the registration of an FIR against Masood as well as officials from the Higher Education Department who were found to have facilitated the college’s operations despite the irregularities. The court criticized the department for its “complicity” over the past two decades.
In a further step, the High Court directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by ADGP (Telecom) Sanjiv Shami, to probe the case. The SIT has been instructed to complete its investigation within three months.
Ironically, the FIR stems from a petition filed by Masood himself, who had approached the High Court challenging Barkatullah University’s decision to derecognize the college. While the court granted temporary relief by staying the derecognition in the interest of more than 1,000 enrolled students, it made clear that no fresh admissions would be allowed from the next academic session.
The controversy was initially raised by BJP leader Dhruvnarayan Singh, a political rival of Masood and son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Govind Narayan Singh. The two had contested the 2023 Assembly election from the Bhopal Central seat, with Masood retaining his seat despite the challenge.
The developments mark a significant turn in a long-running controversy, with both legal and political implications expected to unfold in the coming weeks.
