MP High Court Orders FIR Against Congress MLA Arif Masood For Allegedly Forging Documents To Secure Affiliation For College

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed registration of an FIR against Congress MLA Arif Masood, the secretary of the governing body of Aman Education Society  which operates Indira Priyadarshani College, for allegedly securing and continuing the affiliation of the college through forged documents for nearly two decades.

Noting that 'Arif Masood maybe politically well connected', the high court also deemed it appropriate to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to oversee the investigation in the FIR, directing the SIT to file a report within 3 months. 

Terming the case as a 'shocking state of affairs of unbridled and unapologetic corruption existing in the State', the bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Pradeep Mittal in its order said: 

"For the alleged offence committed by Mr. Arif Masood in connivance with the Officers who permitted him to place two fraudulent documents one after the other, deserve to be proceeded against. In this regard, this Court directs Police Commissioner, Bhopal to register an FIR against Mr. Arif Masood and such other persons, who may appear to have been complicit from the side of the State in facilitating Mr. Arif Masood in this alleged offence, within three days from the date of this order being uploaded on the website of the Court". 

The petitioner, Indira Priyadarshani College, approached the court challenging an order of June 9 by the Barkatullah University to deaffiliate the college. In 2005 the Education Department issued a show cause notice was issued to the petitioner college, whereby the solvency certificate submitted by it at the time of seeking affiliation was found to be forged.

The college in its reply said that it had outsourced the task of getting a solvency certificate and the agents misled the petitioner and consequently, the forged document pertaining to the property, which was given to show solvency, was on account of fraud played by the agents. On 27.09.2005, a second showcase notice with similar allegations were issued to the petitioner;  the petitioner furnished afresh solvency certificate.

Despite the forged documents, the State permitted the college to submit fresh documents. The college thus submitted a fresh solvency certificate. 

Then, in September 2005, one Mohammed Haseeb filed a complaint against the college. A show cause notice was issued, and after a detailed inquiry, the department decided not to intervene in view of the same being a subject matter of a case pending in the High Court. 

Another complaint was filed in January 2011 by one Arif Aqeel against the college, but after another inquiry, the department opined that no case was made out against the college. 

In December 2011, an application was submitted by the college to shift the location from 'Khanugaon' village to 'Pura'. All formalities, including spot inspection, were conducted, and the college was granted permission. 

In July 2024, a third complaint was filed against the college. The respondent authorities sought documents from the petitioner. After an inquiry, a recommendation was made to de-affiliate the college.

Subsequently in  May 2025, the education department directed the University to deaffiliate the college. 

The bench noted that the "certain undisputed facts of this case reveal a shocking state of affairs". It noted that when the college first sought the affiliation, the solvency documents that were submitted were fabricated. "...but the blame for which was sought to laid at the doorstep of the 'alleged agents' to whom this task was allegedly 'outsourced'," the court said. 

"In this regard, learned Additional Advocate General appearing on behalf of the respondent, has referred to the document that was placed by the petitioner before the respondents in order to establish solvency, which is a sale deed of a property dated 10.01.2001, where the seller's name is Bulakhilal and the purchaser is Aman Education Society through its Secretary Mr. Arif Masood. Upon verification of the said document, the same was found to be fabricated, way back in 2004 itself and the original sale deed disclosed that the seller was the same, but the purchaser was Mrs. Rubina Masood, who is the wife of the Secretary of the society running the petitioner college. The document was tampered with and offered as proof of solvency," the court noted. 

The court thereafter said the respondent authorities came to know of the fraud played upon them in the year 2004 itself, "but for reasons that prima facie appeared to be pernicious", they condoned the alleged offence under Sections 420, 467 and 468 of IPC and permitted the college to furnish fresh documents to prove solvency. 

The AAG submitted that the second property which was placed "as consideration for solvency, was also a forged and fabricated document" and thus, the college "had a free run for the next 20 years". 

It thereafter said that Secretary (Masood) should have been jailed in the year 2004 itself for having placed a fabricated document for the purpose of solvency and having received affiliation for his college on the basis of that document.

But instead, the State "was outrageously magnanimous to condone his crime and give another opportunity to him to place another document to establish solvency, 'preferably genuine' this time round (sarcasm intended)" the court said.

"Prima facie, it appears that the Secretary of the society was a blue eyed boy of the dispensation that existed before 2024. The party in power in the State has been the same for more than two decades.However, the captain of the ship changed in the year 2023, when the woes of the petitioner college commenced from 2024. The action taken by the State against the petitioner vide the impugned order directing the University to de-affiliate the petitioner college appears to be a pat on the wrist of the Secretary of the Education Society", the court remarked. 

Further, the court acknowledged the plight of over 1,000 students studying in various disciplines at the college. Thus, as an interim measure, the court permitted the college to continue and stayed the de-affiliation for the time being.

However, the court prohibited the college from admitting any fresh students for the next academic session without court's permission.

Additionally, the court directed the Police Commissioner of Bhopal to register an FIR within three days against Masood and other officials complicit in facilitating the forgery. 

The matter is listed on September 22.

Case Title: Indira Priyadarshani College v State of Madhya Pradesh (WP-21879-2025)

For Petitioner: Senior Advocate Vivek Krishna Tankha with Advocates Aryan Shukla and Satyam Agrawal

For Respondents: Additional Advocate General Harpreet S. Ruprah with Advocate Akash Malpani

Click here to read the Order