State orders crackdown on forged birth and death certificates
Maharashtra's revenue department is cracking down on fraudulent birth and death certificates, urging cancellation of those based solely on Aadhaar.
MUMBAI: The state revenue department has launched a major crackdown on fraudulent birth and death certificates allegedly being issued by civic bodies across the state.
Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday directed officials to immediately cancel all suspicious certificates issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card and to file police complaints without delay. Bawankule said, “Forged birth and death certificates are being misused to grab government benefits, encroach on land and even threaten national security. We will not tolerate such rackets. Strict action will be taken against those involved.”
The action follows a growing campaign by some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members targeting Bangladeshi nationals allegedly living illegally in the state. Recently, two Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staffers were suspended in connection with such irregularities.
The revenue department has now issued a comprehensive 16-point verification guideline to all tehsildars, sub-divisional officers, district collectors and divisional commissioners. The circular, issued after a high-level meeting chaired by the additional chief secretaries of the home and revenue departments, clearly states that an Aadhaar card cannot be accepted as standalone proof of date or place of birth, in line with central government rules.
The key directives mandate that all birth and death registration orders issued by junior or assistant officers in the revenue department after the August 11, 2023 amendment must be withdrawn and cancelled immediately. As per the amendment, the Registrar General was asked to maintain a national database of registered births and deaths, a process which centralises data which was previously maintained separately by states. The amendment also says that parent’s Aadhaar numbers are mandatory for their child’s birth registration.
The new directives also say that any certificate issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card must be treated as defective and cancelled. Any mismatch between application details and the date of birth on the Aadhaar card should lead to an immediate FIR against the applicant.
If any bogus certificates are found, and their owners do not surrender them or cannot be traced, FIRs must be registered and they must be treated as “absconding”. District collectors and divisional commissioners must also hold special verification camps under their direct supervision.
The revenue department has also identified 14 “hotspots” for such malpractices, which have now been placed under strict surveillance. These include Amravati, Akola, Sillod, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Anjangaon Surji, Achalpur, Pusad, Parbhani, Beed, Gevrai, Jalna, Ardhapur and Parli.
MUMBAI: The state revenue department is cracking down on fraudulent birth and death certificates issued by civic bodies, directing immediate cancellation of suspicious certificates tied solely to Aadhaar cards and filing police complaints. This follows a BJP campaign targeting illegal Bangladeshi nationals. A new 16-point verification guideline has been issued to reinforce compliance with registration rules and enhance surveillance in identified hotspots.