Pune IT Employee Booked for Forged Experience Letter; Union Flags Withheld Exit Documents
Pune IT Employee Booked for Forged Experience Letter; Union Flags Withheld Exit Documents
Union says the act was wrong, but asks why employees are pushed into such desperate situations.
Pune: A rare and controversial case has emerged in the IT sector after a young female employee from Pune was booked for allegedly forging her experience letter to join a new company. The complaint was filed by FITE, the Forum for IT Employees, which said it was forced to take legal action to uphold ethical standards. But the union also pointed to a deeper and recurring problem: the refusal of her previous employer to issue basic exit documents.
According to the union, the employee had approached them after her Pune-based organisation withheld her relieving letter, a mandatory requirement for background verification at most IT firms. Without the document, her joining process at the new workplace stalled. When no resolution came from her earlier employer, she is said to have created her own experience certificate. The union condemned the act, but also questioned the circumstances that led to it.
FITE stated that this was not an isolated case. The same organisation had earlier denied relieving documents to six other women employees, who received their paperwork only after intervention and police involvement. The union said this pattern reflected an “adamant and arrogant” management that repeatedly ignored standard HR procedures and pushed employees to the edge.
The case has now triggered a wider discussion in the industry about how rigid exit processes and withholding of key documents can trap employees in a cycle of desperation. For most IT workers, a relieving letter is essential for background checks, payroll onboarding and compliance verification. Without it, candidates risk losing job offers even after clearing interviews.
Legal experts point out that forgery is a criminal offence under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Charges may include punishment for forgery, forgery for the purpose of cheating and using a forged document as genuine. Beyond criminal liability, there is also the industry-level consequence of a red flag in shared verification systems used by major IT firms. A single failed background check can make it difficult for an individual to find work with established companies.
At the same time, labour unions emphasise that employers withholding documents is also an unfair practice. This tactic is often used when employees leave before completing a long notice period, dispute a bond or resign during a conflict with managers. Employee-rights groups say such actions violate labour norms and disrupt livelihoods. They advise workers facing document delays to file a complaint with the labour department or send a formal legal notice instead of resorting to unlawful shortcuts.
The Pune incident has highlighted the tension between strict corporate processes and the pressures young employees face while trying to secure stable employment. While the union reiterated that freshers must never forge documents, it also said organisations must be held accountable when they fail to follow lawful HR procedures. According to the union, a fair and transparent exit system is essential so that no employee feels compelled to take a step that endangers their career.
The case is now being seen as a reminder to both sides: employees must adhere to legal routes, and employers must ensure that basic documents are issued without delay.
