The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), private banks, and telecom service providers to be made parties in an investigation into a scam involving fake non-bailable warrants (NBWs) allegedly issued in the names of judges and police officers to extort money.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendran and Justice Subhash Upadhyay passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Haridwar resident Surendra Kumar. The bench observed that the case goes beyond individual cheating, striking at the very credibility of the justice system by misusing the authority of judges and law enforcement officers.
Taking serious note of the allegations, the court converted the petition into a public interest litigation (PIL). Kumar told the court that a month ago he had received calls from two numbers, claiming that a Dehradun court had issued an NBW against him. The callers demanded Rs 30,000 to revoke the warrant, asking him to transfer the amount through four different QR codes.
Despite informing the Haridwar police, no action was initially taken, Kumar alleged. His counsel, advocate Prabha Naithani, further argued that the NBW purportedly issued in the name of the Additional District Judge of Dehradun was entirely fake, since no such case was pending in any court and no such judge existed in Haridwar or Dehradun.
The bench noted that victims were being intimidated through fake NBWs and forced into digital payments. It expressed concern that all the fraudulent transactions were linked to private bank accounts, raising questions about the complicity or negligence of banks. The judges also directed that RBI, concerned private banks, and telecom companies be made parties to the case for a thorough investigation.
During the hearing, Inspector General (Intelligence) Sunil Meena, Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Singh Dobal, and cyber cell officials appeared virtually before the bench. The SSP informed the court that the accused who attempted to defraud the petitioner had been identified and would be arrested soon.
The matter will now be closely monitored as a PIL, with the High Court emphasizing the need for systemic accountability to prevent misuse of judicial authority for digital fraud.
