Gurgaon Court Convicts Former IREO CEO Ramesh Sanka in Fake Medical Prescription Case

A Gurgaon court has convicted Ramesh Sanka, the former CEO of IREO Residency Company Private Limited, and co-accused Meenu Sharma of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence in a fake medical prescription case. However, they were acquitted of forgery charges.

The case stems from an exemption application filed by Sanka in April 2023 in a pending real estate trial. The application was supported by questionable medical documentation, which the court found to be fake. The judgment was delivered by Dr Mohd Imtiyaj Khan, Judicial Magistrate First Class, after a two-year trial that began with an FIR at the Shivaji Nagar police station.

Sanka, who was already facing prosecution in other financial cases linked to complaints from the IREO group, sought exemption from court appearance on medical grounds. He provided an outpatient (OPD) slip allegedly issued at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi. The prosecution argued that the prescription was forged, and Sanka had not physically visited the hospital. Evidence, including CCTV footage and WhatsApp records, supported the prosecution's claims.

The court found that the medical certificate was prepared at the behest of Meenu Sharma, the hospital’s pharmacy in-charge, who claimed Sanka was a relative. Although the information presented for the prescription was false, the actual document was issued and signed by the doctor, Dr Ajit Jain, who was posted as an associate professor at the hospital. Dr Jain issued the OPD prescription based on information provided by Meenu Sharma about a relative reportedly suffering from fever, cough, and chest pain.

The court observed that the fake document was filed before it, inducing the court to grant exemption from personal appearance. This deception was intentional and caused harm not only to the court’s process but also to Dr Jain’s professional reputation. The court held that all elements of cheating were satisfied.

The original prescription was found to have been destroyed and not recovered during the investigation. The court held that, although the ingredients of forgery were not proven, since the document was genuinely executed, albeit based on false information, the actions constituted cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Both Sanka and Sharma were convicted under sections 417 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 201 (destruction of evidence), but acquitted under the forgery sections (465, 468, 471 read with 120-B). Sanka was sentenced to 10 months’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine, while Sharma, on bail, received a similar sentence with a one-month suspension of sentence for appeal. The order directed consecutive terms for all sentences, citing the need for deterrence, and dismissed requests for probation on grounds of abuse of judicial process and public justice.

The court also clarified that offences committed both in Delhi and Gurgaon fall under concurrent jurisdiction since the purported document was created in one city and used in another. The court noted that the act of the convicts amounts to not only cheating but also a deliberate abuse of the judicial process. It undermines the sanctity of judicial proceedings and erodes public confidence in the integrity of the justice delivery system. Furthermore, the original prescription has been destroyed by the convicts, which further shows the gravity of the conduct and the objects sought to be achieved by them.

The court emphasized the need for strict handling of such instances to deter similar misuse of the judicial process. The offences committed by the convicts are not only against a private person but are offences against public justice, intended to deceive the court itself. Such types of instances call for no leniency.

Additional Public Prosecutor Manish Kumar appeared for the state. The complainant was represented by advocates Apoorv Yadav, Prateek Rathee, Gunjan Singla, and Prachi Bhardwaj. Advocates Vishal Gupta and Amol Gupta represented Sanka. Advocate Vipin Gupta appeared for Sharma.