The Allahabad High Court forgery case child maintenance dispute has drawn sharp judicial scrutiny after the Court upheld criminal proceedings against a man accused of submitting manipulated bank statements in a child maintenance case filed by his former wife.
Justice Vikram D Chauhan, while refusing to quash the summoning order, held that presenting selective bank entries as a complete financial record amounts to prima facie forgery when such documents are placed before a court without fair disclosure.
The High Court observed that the disputed bank statement was titled as a detailed statement of ICICI Bank and carried the official bank logo, yet omitted several material entries.
At no point was the Maintenance Court informed that the document was only an excerpt. This concealment, according to the Court, had a direct bearing on the assessment of the maintenance claim.
Addressing the Allahabad High Court forgery case child maintenance, Justice Chauhan noted that litigants are duty bound to place truthful and complete material before courts. Any deviation from this obligation strikes at the foundation of judicial fairness.
The Court emphasised that filing forged or misleading documents is not a procedural lapse but a conscious act aimed at misleading the judicial process. Such conduct, the Court held, undermines the principle of equal footing between parties and constitutes an affront to the majesty of law.
Background of the Dispute
The parties were married in 2004 and separated in 2006. Their marriage was dissolved by a decree of divorce in 2007. Subsequently, the wife initiated proceedings under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, seeking monthly maintenance of ₹15,000 for their minor son.
During the proceedings, the trial court directed the husband to submit income tax returns, bank account details, fixed deposits, movable assets and salary slips for the preceding three years. Based on the documents filed, the Maintenance Court awarded ₹15,000 per month to the child until attaining majority.
While the maintenance proceedings were pending, the wife lodged a criminal complaint alleging that the husband had filed forged bank statements by suppressing income details. After investigation, the police filed a charge sheet and a court in Noida summoned the accused under Section 466 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with forgery of court records and public documents.
Arguments and Findings
The accused contended before the High Court that the bank statements filed were only excerpts and that no wrongful gain or loss had occurred since the maintenance order favoured the child.
Rejecting this submission, the High Court noted that the document nowhere disclosed that it was an excerpt. On the contrary, it was presented as a complete and detailed bank statement. The Court held that whether the document constituted forgery is a matter of evidence to be examined during trial.
The High Court concluded that the FIR and supporting material disclosed a prima facie offence, justifying continuation of criminal proceedings. Consequently, the petition challenging the summoning order was dismissed.
Reaffirming the gravity of the issue, the Court stated that the Allahabad High Court forgery case child maintenance matter highlights the necessity of absolute candour in judicial proceedings and that any attempt to mislead the court cannot be lightly condoned.
Case Details
- Court: Allahabad High Court
- Bench: Justice Vikram D Chauhan
- Date of Decision: 8 December 2025
- Trial Court: Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Gurgaon
- Summoning Court: Noida Court
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