CHENNAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation has formally registered a case into the alleged forgery of No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) using forged signatures of Chennai City police Commissioner and fake seal for petroleum retail outlets in Chennai, following a directive from the Madras High Court.
The agency, which took over the probe from the State police, named multiple accused in the cheating and forgery conspiracy that is believed to span more than six years.
In an order on February 18, the High Court directed the CBI to conduct further investigation and identify any other individuals involved in preparing fake NOCs, along with those already named as accused.
The case originated from an FIR filed on February 11, 2020, at the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Chennai, based on a complaint by R Murugavel, a planning consultant for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
According to him, an IOC official, Rajeswaran, asked him to obtain NOCs for two petrol outlets at Guindy and Nanganallur. The complainant approached KL Sivakumar, a dealer of Essar Oils, who, with the help of S Jayaprakash, provided two NOCs.
Murugavel said that he had paid Rs 2.5 lakh per NOC. However, he later discovered that the signatures of the Police Commissioner and the official ‘CoP seal’ on the certificates were forged.
Following the court order, the case was transferred to the CB-CID. A final charge sheet was filed against Jayaprakash as the sole accused, now pending. On November 20, 2025, a trial court ordered further investigation against Sivakumar.
The CBI has now taken over the probe, with the case re-registered by its Anti-Corruption Branch (Chennai unit). The investigation will examine a total of 12 forged NOCs allegedly created by the accused.
While handing over the case to CBI in February this year, the judges observed that the crime required active involvement of beneficiaries, who paid middlemen lakhs of rupees for NOCs instead of applying through district administration or police. Expressing anguish, the court noted that despite multiple opportunities, CB-CID officials failed to provide a satisfactory response or fair investigation.
The Chief Justice wrote that surface-level material demands deeper investigation into beneficiaries’ roles, noting action was taken only in Erode and Dindigul, not Chennai.