Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is taking legal action against a Hyderabad supplier, accusing it of submitting 199 fake test reports for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A program. Ranu Gupta,HAL's Deputy General Manager,filed the complaint,leading police to charge M. Sivarama Prasad, CEO of Tec Aero Devices,with cheating and forgery under Indian law.
From March 2022 to September 2023,HAL placed 18 orders with Tec Aero Devices for crucial components for Tejas Mk1A . Supplier had to provide test certificates and reports before HAL would accept bulk deliveries. But HAL alleges Tec Aero Devices failed to show original documents during quality checks.
HAL's probe found 172 components covered by submitted test reports . When asked for original documents on tensile strength,hardness,break load,shear,NDT,microstructure,and salt spray tests,supplier couldn't comply. On November 22,2023,Tec Aero Devices claimed two reports were from Axis Inspection Solutions,a Hyderabad-based firm.
To check authenticity,HAL audited Axis Inspection Solutions on November 29,2023. Axis reps said none of the 199 reports came from them. They claimed their name and signatures were used without permission to forge documents.
Based on these findings,HAL concluded Tec Aero Devices' reports from February to September 2023 were fake. HAL issued a show-cause notice and barred supplier from business with HAL for three years, effective until March 10,2027.
HAL said no payments were made to Tec Aero Devices for disputed supplies . After internal discussions and legal advice,HAL decided to pursue criminal charges against company and its CEO . Police registered the case,investigating the alleged fake documents . They requested verification documents from HAL to aid the probe.
HAL confirmed FIR against Tec Aero Devices. Prasad claimed ignorance of police complaint but acknowledged HAL's debarment in March 2024 over fake lab certificates. He blamed an employee and said company made several appeals to HAL, including a recent request to lift the debarment. Prasad stressed Tec Aero improved quality systems and invited HAL to inspect their facility…
