CBI books Customs official who got job using ‘forged’ ST certificate

New Delhi, Oct 25 : The CBI is preparing to grill a Customs official from Visakhapatnam for allegedly using forged birth and Scheduled Tribe certificates, with a minor change in surname, to secure the government job almost 30 years ago.

Namarla Satyanarayana alias Namala Satyanarayana, who joined the Customs Department in 1986, now faces criminal charges related to forgery, cheating and criminal misconduct apart from charges under Section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act that deals with criminal misconduct by public servants.

The accused was booked on the basis of a complaint received from his superior who alleged that Satyanarayana, Superintendent (Preventive), Customs, Visakhapatnam, was maintaining dual identity by obtaining two Class 10 certificates from two different schools – both carrying different names and indicating different years of clearing the exam as 1980 and 1982.

The accused was working as Assistant Commissioner, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), Chennai, when Neelam Sreedhar, Principal Commissioner, Custom House, Port Area, Visakhapatnam, filed a complaint with the CBI in January this year.

CBI sources said records of both the schools from where the accused procured the Class 10 certificate would be examined as part of the investigation against Satyanarayana.

During the preliminary investigation, a CBI investigator found that he obtained a false/forged ST-Kondadora caste certificate in his name by changing his surname to Namarla from Namala.

He used the said ST Caste certificate to obtain another 10th class certificate from St. Ann's School, Bheemunipatnam, Visakhapatnam, with the name Namarla Satyanarayana during the year 1982.

As per the other certificate, he allegedly studied during 1971 and 1980 at St. Peter High School, Gnanapuram, Visakhapatnam and recorded his caste as BC-A (Dasari) and obtained 10h class pass Certificate from the said school during the year 1980 in the name of Namala Satyanarayana, the complaint said.

While recommending the registration of FIR, a senior CBI official said: “The complaint prima facie discloses Namarla Satyanarayana @ Namala Satyanarayana committed offences punishable under section 420,468,471 IPC; Sec.5(2) r/w Sec.5(1)(d) of PC Act 1947; and Sec.13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC act 1988.”