Vadodara, Feb 05: In a curious case a 45-year-old man allegedly pledged his wife and son for a Rs 50,000 loan and even got the agreement attested on judicial stamp paper by an Executive Magistrate.
The agreement came to light last week when the borrower, Paresh Trivedi, a former employee of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, lodged a police complaint of harassment by lender Abdul Qadir Ghulam Rasool Mansuri. Trivedi said Rasool had obtained his signature on a blank stamp paper, and was now harassing him. The police searched Rasool’s house and found the document. Rasool was arrested, but has since obtained bail.
No law permits mortgaging or trading of human beings or pledging them as part of an undertaking against any loan or whatsoever. But what is more disconcerting than the Rs 20 stamp-paper document dated December 19, 2001, which does precisely that, is the stand taken by the Executive Magistrate who attested it.
The Magistrate, Dhanjibhai R. Parmar, confirmed that he had gone through the agreement before putting his seal and signature on it, but also said he saw nothing wrong in that.
Parmar is currently on leave, but when contacted at his home on phone said: ‘‘I don’t think I have committed any offence. Two parties agreed to the terms and signed the document in my presence. Hence, I put my seal and signature on it.’’
Inspector Natwarsinh Rathod, who is investigating the case, says,‘‘After going through the document, the Magistrate should have informed police and got cases registered against both parties.’’
He said Mansuri had taken two undated cheques of Rs 1 lakh, one from himself and one from his wife Hema, as guarantee.
‘‘Also, Mansuri took my signature on blank judicial stamp papers,’’ said Trivedi. ‘‘I signed as I needed the money. It is not true that I signed the agreement with those terms in front of the Magistrate,’’ he said.
Trivedi claims he paid Mansuri Rs 1.16 lakh in instalments, but Mansuri insisted the loan had not been cleared.
‘‘A fortnight ago, he came to me demanding Rs 55,000 to clear the loan,’’ said Trivedi. ‘‘Since I did not have the money, he started applying psychological pressure.’’
Trivedi said Mansuri had gone to the principal of the school in which Hema was a peon and threatened to make her lose her job. Trivedi also alleged that Mansuri had assaulted him a fortnight ago, and even lodged a complaint at Panigate Police Station of non-repayment of loan.
‘‘It was after all this that I lodged a case with Inspector Rathod of the Economic Offences Wing,’’ said Trivedi.
Mansuri refused to comment, but said he was being framed by Trivedi, whom he described as an ‘‘old friend who still owes me Rs 55,000’’.
