The Himachal Pradesh chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has appealed to the state government to mandate the use and verification of the Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN) system for all documents certified by chartered accountants.

Himachal Pradesh ICAI, Chairman Naresh Vashisht on Thursday urged the government to instruct all departments to verify CA-certified documents through the ICAI UDIN portal.

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Enforcing UDIN verification will protect the integrity of certified documents and reinforce public trust in the CA profession, he added.

He said that UDIN, a secure system established by ICAI, enables verification of documents bearing CA signatures and stamps, serving as a critical safeguard against unauthorized use and forgery.

Vashisht said that this appeal has once again been made to the state government prompted by a recent incident involving misuse of CA seals and signatures fraudulent at Sundernagar in government tender documents.

Informing about an FIR lodged against an accountant for Forgery of CA Seals and Signatures in Government Tenders at Sundernagar Police Station, he said that the accused had allegedly been fraudulently preparing documents by misusing the official seals and signatures of multiple CAs-a serious violation that came to light in recent weeks.

He further said that the accused accountant, who had evaded authorities for a significant period, was successfully apprehended yesterday due to the dedicated efforts of local CAs.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that he had been filing e-tenders for government contracts on behalf of various small contractors, using forged CA certifications,” he said.

The accused illegally used the seals and signatures of multiple CAs on documents that were legally required to be certified by authorized CAs.

Further inquiry has uncovered that the accused accountant also allegedly misappropriated funds entrusted to him by contractors for tender applications, diverting this money into cryptocurrency investments without the contractors’ knowledge or consent, said the Chairman.

He said that the Himachal Pradesh ICAI commends the vigilance, dedication, and integrity demonstrated by its members in identifying and addressing this malpractice.

Such actions reflect ICAI’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and trust in the accounting profession, he added.

“The Himachal Pradesh Branch of ICAI had previously submitted a formal request to the government, urging strict UDIN verification.

However, despite these efforts, no action has been taken to implement this essential measure,” he stated.