HAL files cheating, forgery case against Hyderabad supplier over alleged forged test reports for Tejas Mk1A components

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. View of the HAL building in Bengaluru, Karnataka. PHOTO: SUDHAKARA JAIN/THE HINDU | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has lodged a cheating and forgery complaint against a Hyderabad-based aerospace components supplier, alleging that the company submitted 199 forged test reports in connection with the supply of parts for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A programme. Based on a complaint filed by Ranu Gupta, Deputy General Manager, Aircraft Division, HAL, last Tuesday the HAL police have registered a case against M. Sivarama Prasad, CEO of M/s Tec Aero Devices, under Sections 420, 465 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the complaint, HAL had issued 18 purchase orders to Tec Aero Devices between March 2022 and September 2023 for the supply of various components required for the Tejas Mk1A programme. As per procurement conditions, the supplier was required to furnish material test certificates, inspection reports, and other supporting documents before bulk supplies could be accepted. HAL alleged that the company submitted 199 test reports covering 172 components. During quality control checks, HAL sought original reports relating to tensile strength, hardness, break load, shear, non-destructive testing (NDT), microstructure, and salt spray tests. However, the supplier allegedly failed to produce the original documents. Subsequently, Tec Aero Devices submitted a letter dated November 22, 2023, attributing two test reports to Hyderabad-based Axis Inspection Solutions. To verify the authenticity of the documents, HAL conducted an audit at Axis Inspection Solutions on November 29, 2023. During the audit, Axis Inspection Solutions reportedly informed HAL that none of the 199 reports had been issued by the company. In a written communication, Axis further alleged that its name and signatures had been misused to create fabricated reports. HAL concluded that the reports submitted by Tec Aero Devices between February and September