Jalgaon:43 booked over irregularities in birth certificates

In Maharashtra, A first information report has been registered against 43 persons for alleged fraudulent practices concerning birth certificates issued by the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation. Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya had pursued the alleged irregularities in the issuance of birth certificates. Bogus birth certificates were being issued to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas in parts of Maharashtra under a scam, he had claimed. The birth certificates reportedly listed fabricated or unrelated addresses, and in several instances, lacked supporting hospital records or legal affidavits as required under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, as per the FIR.These birth certificates could potentially be misused for acquiring documents like Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter IDs. Somaiya welcomed the registration of the FIR and said there is a need for stricter oversight and accountability in government processes.
The former MP has alleged that 269 delayed birth registration orders were issued by the magistrate court of Akola City between January 2021 and December 2023. But the tehsildar gave orders to register 4,849 delayed birth applications. He has claimed that 11,864 delayed applications were made in Yavatmal, 15,845 in Akola, and 4,350 in Nagpur districts. Somaiya has alleged that two lakh Bangladeshi Rohingyas have applied for birth certificates in Maharashtra, and a tehsildar was suspended in Malegaon in this connection. Somaiya alleged that Akola, Amravati and Malegaon are emerging as main centres of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants.