Uttarakhand MBBS admissions fraud: 2 officials suspended over certiticate verification lapses
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Dehradun: In the latest update in the fake freedom fighter and domicile certificate fraud, two revenue sub-inspectors have reportedly been suspended as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues to investigate alleged irregularities in MBBS admissions in Uttarakhand.
The officials were suspended for alleged negligence in verifying documents before issuing the disputed certificates to medical students. The action was taken following a preliminary inquiry into the matter.
Recently, the SIT arrested two people in connection with the case and the Uttarakhand Medical Education Department has directed principals of all 10 government and private medical colleges participating in the state counselling process to verify the documents of candidates who claimed any category or sub-category benefit during NEET-UG 2025 admissions.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that altogether five individuals, including four female students, were booked for allegedly using fake documents to obtain MBBS seats under the Freedom Fighters' Dependants quota in Uttarakhand. Taking action against the four female students, the Uttarakhand Medical Education Department has cancelled their MBBS admissions. After this, the entire process of issuing and verifying such documents came under scrutiny.
A social activist, who has been raising the issue, met State Health and Medical Education Minister Uniyal and submitted the list of around 350 candidates, demanding a detailed investigation into their certificates. He clarified that he is not claiming that certificates of all candidates on the list are fake but said that available records and admission-related information raise suspicions regarding these cases, necessitating official verification of the documents.
In response, Uniyal said that the government is taking the matter seriously. Suspecting the involvement of a major racket, he has directed the Dehradun District Magistrate to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within a week.
While investigating the matter, the Dehradun District Magistrate, in its inquiry, found the two revenue sub-inspectors responsible for alleged gross negligence in the verification of credentials and accordingly suspended them.
Speaking to HT, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Apoorva Singh said the two officials were suspended on the orders of the Dehradun District Magistrate on Tuesday evening. She said the action was taken over alleged gross negligence in the verification of credentials. “All documents that were sought are being provided to the investigative teams,” she said.
The SIT has so far focused on admissions made under the freedom fighter-dependent quota. SIT head and Superintendent of Police (Rural) Jaya Baloni said documents from three medical colleges have been received and are being examined.
"The SIT has received documents from three medical colleges and is scrutinising them. Investigation could be extended to other categories if fresh leads emerge", she said.
As per a Hindustan Times report, around 568 candidates were provisionally admitted under State Quota reservations across vertical and horizontal categories. Of these, 322 were in the Unreserved category, 103 in the Scheduled Caste category, 83 in the Other Backward Classes category, 43 in the Economically Weaker Section category and 17 in the Scheduled Tribe category.
Meanwhile, another 210 candidates exercised the "Selected Float" option, allowing them to retain their provisional seats while seeking an upgrade in later counselling rounds.
Commenting on this, Director of Medical Education Dr Ashutosh Sayana said, "An audit of admissions made during the first and second counselling rounds has already been started. The third counselling, scheduled to begin on September 28, would be conducted under strict scrutiny of domicile and other relevant certificates."
The social activist, who has been raising concerns over the alleged admission irregularities, also questioned the candidates admitted under the orphan reservation. According to data cited by him, 19 candidates secured MBBS seats under the orphan quota, of whom 17 had completed both Class 10 and Class 12 outside Uttarakhand. The remaining two candidates had completed both examinations in the state.
He also pointed to differences in the NEET-UG scores of candidates admitted under the orphan quota. As per the data shared by him, the scores ranged from 415 marks for the highest-scoring candidate to 208 marks for one candidate.
