Passport office dismisses forgery charges against Kumble

Bangalore, January 10
The claim of the former husband of cricketer Anil Kumble’s wife Kumar V Jahgirdar that the leg-spinner had forged his signatures on Jahgirdar’s minor daughter Aaruni’s passport renewal application form was today dismissed by the regional passport office in Bangalore.

The Karnataka High Court had, on Friday, served a notice on the Bangalore police commissioner for not registering an FIR against Anil Kumble in the impersonation and forgery case.

Justice S Abdul Naseer directed the police commissioner to explain by next week why an FIR should not be registered against Kumble, who had been accused of forging the signature of petitioner Kumar V Jahgirdar in an application for renewing the passport of the latter’s minor daughter Aaruni Kumar Jahgirdar in April 2011.

Kumble married Jahgirdar’s wife Chetana Ramtheertha in 1999 after Kumar and Chetana legally separated. The Supreme Court upheld the family court’s ruling granting joint custody of Aaruni to Kumar and Chetana while maintaining Kumar’s right over the 17-year-old daughter as her natural father and legal guardian.

Jahgirdar came to know that his ex-wife had applied for renewal of Aaruni’s passport (which expired in 2009). As per rules, a declaration has to be made by the father in the case of a minor for passport renewal. According to Jahgirdar, in Aaruni’s application, while his name was mentioned as her father, Kumble had impersonated him and signed the document.

Jahgirdar filed a complaint with the Bharatinagar police on December 26 and then brought the issue to the notice of the city police commissioner on December 29. The police did nothing, thus prompting Jahgirdar to knock at the door of the court.

A senior official at the passport office here said, “Kumble did not impersonate anyone. He gave his own signature in Aaruni’s application renewal form.”