Uttarakhand MBBS admissions: Medical Education Minister orders inquiry into alleged fake certificates fraud
Dehradun: Amid allegations of fraudulent permanent residence and freedom fighter dependent certificates being used to secure MBBS admission to medical colleges in Uttarakhand, State Medical Education Minister Subodh Uniyal has directed the Dehradun District Magistrate to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.
The direction came after Pradeep Bahuguna, who has been raising the issue, met Uniyal recently and submitted a list of around 350 candidates, demanding a detailed investigation into their certificates.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Uttarakhand Medical Education Department cancelled the MBBS admissions of four female students after certificates submitted by them under the Freedom Fighter Dependent Quota were found to be fraudulent during verification. This came after the accused students had been booked.
Five individuals, including four students, were booked in Uttarakhand for allegedly securing MBBS admission through fake freedom fighter dependent certificates, and the entire process of issuing and verifying such documents came under scrutiny.
According to the Medical Education Department, the certificates of five candidates applying under the freedom fighter dependent quota were found to be suspicious. After verification by the district magistrates of the respective districts, these certificates were confirmed to be fake, and the admissions granted based on them were cancelled.
As per the PTI report, Senior journalist and social activist Pradeep Bahuguna, who claims to have exposed this issue, said that the matter is not limited to freedom fighter dependent certificates alone, and raised concerns over the domicile certificates as well.
He recently submitted a list of 350 candidates to the minister and sought verification. With this, he clarified that he is not claiming that certificates of all candidates on the list are fake. He maintained that available records and admission-related information raise suspicions regarding these cases, necessitating official verification of the documents, reports PTI.
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.
He pointed out that many of these candidates completed their high school and intermediate education outside Uttarakhand, while some even took the NEET examination in states like Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. However, studying in another state or taking the NEET exam elsewhere does not, in itself, constitute proof of a forged certificate.
He said, “I am not saying that the certificates of all these individuals are fake. But an investigation into their documents is essential. I have identified around 350 names, and it is possible that the actual number of such cases is higher.” He demanded an inquiry into whether the permanent residence and other certificates– used to claim state quota or special category status –were issued in accordance with the rules, adds PTI.
According to Bahuguna, the matter originated from the scrutiny of documents belonging to certain candidates applying under the ‘dependent of a freedom fighter’ category.
He stated that the list of relevant candidates and their certificate numbers were available on the website. During cross-verification with online records, some certificate numbers could not be found on the portal, while in one instance, the recorded certificate or application number appeared to be linked to a different individual.
He claimed that in one case, the online application status appeared as ‘pending,’ even though the candidate in question had already been allotted a medical seat.
These claims have not yet been independently verified.
His initial inquiry raised questions regarding four ‘dependent of a freedom fighter’ certificates linked to the same family. Following a complaint, verification was conducted by officials, and the certificates were cancelled after being found to be forged.
He said that the investigation should not be limited to the few cases reported but should be conducted on a broader scale.
Bahuguna has also demanded an investigation into the possibility of an organised network operating in this matter.
The Dehradun administration conducted surprise inspections of several Common Service Centres (CSCs) in the district on September 17. However, the district administration has not directly linked this action to the case of alleged forged certificates in MBBS admissions.
Acting on the instructions of District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan, authorities sealed four CSC centres and seized certain computers and laptops after irregularities were detected.
According to the administration, the action was taken after irregularities were found in CSC centres’ operations and their compliance with regulations.
Rohit Negi, a CSC operator in Dehradun, told PTI that the role of a CSC is generally limited to filling out online applications and uploading documents to the portal.
Subsequently, the application moves through the government system; for instance, in cases like permanent residence certificates, the document is issued with the approval of the competent authority following verification at the level of the Tehsil, revenue officials, or the Patwari.
The role of officials responsible for verification and approval is also being questioned in the wake of the complaints.
Health Minister Uniyal stated that the matter came to his attention while he was in Australia, and he had issued instructions for an investigation to the concerned District Magistrate from there itself.
According to him, initial investigations revealed that some certificates were fake, and complaints regarding permanent residency certificates have also been received.
The minister said that if any permanent residency certificate or freedom fighter dependent certificate has been fraudulently issued to an outsider, it is a serious matter, reports PTI
He stated that the investigation would not merely look at the role of the person using the certificate but would also examine at which stage of the issuance process the irregularity occurred. Uniyal hinted at the possibility of a major gang being behind this matter.
The Minister also referred to complaints related to Aadhaar. According to him, some complaints allege the existence of four or five Aadhaar records linked to a single individual. These allegations are yet to be investigated.
The minister stated that if any irregularities regarding processes linked to Aadhaar or CSCs come to light, they will also be investigated.
He added that if a candidate secures admission based on a forged certificate and the fraud is subsequently proven, actions such as the cancellation of admission could be taken.
