Business Standard: New Delhi: Monday,
September 26, 2016.
The Central
Information Commission has ordered inquiry into "gross
irregularities" in issuance of fake birth certificates by North Delhi
Municipal Corporation (NDMC) after 49 forged certificates came to light.
Information
Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad noted in his order that practices and procedures
devoid of transparency end up being a "breeding ground" for
malpractices of fraudulence, manipulation and corruption.
"Upon
perusal of the aforementioned facts and submissions of the case, gross
irregularities have surfaced in this case, showcasing over 49 fake birth
certificates has come as a shocking revelation.
"It is
appalling that such a heinous crime is being committed in an unbridled manner,
right in the capital where maximum legal checks and safeguards are expected to
be in place for smooth governance and providing best of civic amenities to the
citizens," Azad said in his order.
The
Commissioner, a former IPS officer, found that the birth certificates were
issuedby the NDMC merely on the basis of hard copies of certain orders
purportedly issued by the SDM office, and for all the 47 birth certificates
issued, there is no corresponding soft copy of the same SDM orders available
online on the Delhi Government website.
"As is evident
from the facts of the case at hand, 49 fake birth certificates indicate that
the procedures were twisted and rules/policies and laws violated for creating
fabricated documents.These forged documents, 49 in all, which have been dealt
with in this case, were created without any cross linking or cross
referencing," he said.
Azad said the
RTI Act was enacted to promote transparency and accountability in the working
of every public authority in order to strengthen the core constitutional values
of a democratic republic--keeping in mind rights of an informed citizenry in
which transparency of information is vital in curbing corruption andmaking the
Government and its instrumentalities accountable.
"Practices
and procedures devoid of transparency end up being a breeding ground for
malpractices of fraudulence, manipulation and corruption.
"Democracy,
therefore, demands openness which is a concomitant of a transparent system of
governance, disinfected of the malpractices by the light of openness and
transparency," he said.
Azad said he
was reminded of a press report, not so long ago, about a CBI inquiry conducted
in Civil Lines Zone of MCD on account of some fake birth certificate racket.
"One
cannot surmise the numbers of such forged documents already issued and the
amount of harm it is causing to the entire system at large. This menace of
forgery and corruption can be tackled only by making all such documents open to
the public and issued only after multiple levels of cross linking," he
said.
The
Information Commissioner said public authorities should exercise due caution
and issue hardcopy of such vital documents only after due verification and
crosschecking.
"The
Commission directs that the 49 fake birth certificates, which have been
unearthed in this case, should be rescinded.
"An
inquiry should be initiated so that such acts of offence against the society at
large can be investigated appropriately by an independent and capable security
agency, criminality of the delinquent officer/s investigated and exemplary
punishment awarded to the wrongdoers - as a deterrent in future from abuse of
public office," he said.
Lauding the
efforts of RTI applicant Rajnish Kumar Dhingra, who brought this case before
the Commission through persistent RTIs to NDMC, Azad said it is necessary to
send the right message and to check the menace of fake certificates being
issued by such an important and almost sole public agency responsible for
authentication of birth/death of citizens.
"An
Action Taken Report shall be submitted before the Commission within four weeks
with a copy provided to the appellant, at whose behest the entire scam has come
to light," he said.
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