Drugs can be fake, degree certificates can be fake, and it now turns out, even government instructions can be fake. For all you know, an official memo, which clarifies that previous instructions were fake, too can be a fake.

Central government offices received an instruction on revised rates for overtime. It had all the signs of being a genuine official memorandum: it was numbered O.M. No.1 (4)/2010 E-II dt.27/3/2010, and it was  signed by S. Rajan Chandranaydu, under secretary to the govt of India and it was issued by the ministry of finance. Who would doubt its authenticity?

But, just three days later, these offices received another office memorandum on the subject of “fake instruction on overtime allowance”. This one, from the department of personnel & training of the ministry of personnel, PG & pensions, says the overtime instruction was fake.

“It is clarified that no such instruction has been issued by this Department or Ministry of Finance. Ministries/Departments are advised not to take cognizance of the fake instructions being circulated in Central Govt. Offices,” reads the letter, clearly pointing to more than one fake instruction doing rounds.

Now an inquiry is on. Meanwhile, we wonder how to figure out if this clarification is genuine and not fake?

Here is the March 30 letter.