Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Nov 27: Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has ordered the immediate cancellation of fake birth and death certificates issued solely based on Aadhaar cards or other suspicious documents, and directed that police complaints be filed without delay to dismantle the racket behind these fraudulent records.
A departmental circular issued today instructs tehsildars, sub-divisional officers, district collectors, and divisional commissioners to scrutinize certificates against 16 verification parameters following high-level meetings with the Additional chief secretaries of Home and Revenue.
The circular specifies that any certificate issued after the August 11, 2023 amendment relying solely on Aadhaar will be considered invalid, as Aadhaar cannot serve as proof of birth or place of birth under central government guidelines. Special campaigns and meetings under the supervision of district collectors and divisional commissioners will be conducted to ensure compliance.
Minister Bawankule warned that discrepancies between the applicant’s information and the Aadhaar birth date will trigger police cases. Individuals failing to return original certificates, or whose certificates cannot be recovered, will be declared absconders and FIRs will be filed by local police.
Certain areas have been flagged as hotspots for illegal certificate cases, including Amravati, Sillod, Akola, Sambhajinagar, Latur, Anjanagaon Surji, Achalpur, Pusad, Parbhani, Beed, Gevrai, Jalna, Ardhapur, and Parli. Special investigation campaigns will be launched in 14 locations, including Sambhajinagar, Amravati, and Latur.
“While birth and death certificates are initially issued by the health department, they are subsequently processed by the revenue department through authorized tehsildars and officers. Numerous irregularities have been discovered, necessitating the retrieval and thorough re-verification of certificates,” the minister stated.
The move reflects Maharashtra’s push to clean up fraudulent documentation and ensure transparency in the issuance of official records.