Haryana clerk issues birth certificate for dead person, faces Rs 6,000 fine

On March 10, a Hisar resident applied for the registration of his wedding that took place on November 28, 2023, with the consent of his and his wife’s parents in the delayed marriage registration category. The couple is domiciled in Haryana and has valid Family IDs, confirming their age and addresses. The marriage registrar, however, raised an objection, citing the absence of birth certificates, and allegedly refused to issue the marriage registration certificate.

According to the complainant, “The tehsil office demanded hard copies of birth certificates and additional documents. Despite, as per the Haryana government guidelines, dated July 19, 2024, age and address can also be verified by Family ID. Therefore, no separate documents were required for verification.”

“During the hearing before the Right to Service commission on July 15, the marriage registrar admitted that he relied on the statements of the marriage clerk and did not review the instructions. He acknowledged his mistake, expressed regret and assured the Commission that the certificate would be issued as early as possible. The Commission, however, viewed this as a case of serious negligence. Marriage registration is a service that the government offers with a set timeline of 5 to 7 days, and it should not have been delayed for four months. Had the officer followed the instructions on time, the certificate could have been issued much earlier,” a Commission spokesperson said.

“The Commission has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Hisar to deduct Rs 6,000 from the salary of the Hansi Tehsildar-cum-Marriage Registrar for July, Rs 1,000 of which should be deposited in the state treasury and Rs 5,000 should be transferred to the complainant’s bank account. In addition, the Commission has directed CRID to organise training-cum-sensitisation sessions for Marriage Registrars and related officers so that the government’s guidelines issued in this regard can be followed by the field offices effectively,” the spokesperson added.

Rs 6,000 to be deducted from clerk’s salary

A Faridabad resident was issued a birth certificate instead of the death certificate of his father.

On March 22, the applicant had applied for the death certificate of his father, who died on March 19. “However, due to negligence of the official concerned, the applicant was mistakenly issued the birth certificate of a child,” the spokesperson said.

“During the investigation, it was found that the certificate issuance process was handled by a clerk at the NIT Zone-II office of the Municipal Corporation, Faridabad. He uploaded the wrong certificate and closed the application. Considering it a case of serious administrative negligence, the Commission imposed a symbolic fine of Rs 3,000 on the employee under Section 17(1)(h) of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014.

The Commission also directed that Rs 3,000 be paid as compensation to the applicant. The total amount of Rs. 6,000 will be deducted from the clerk’s salary for July 2025 and disbursed as per rules in August. The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, has also been directed to ensure compliance with the order and submit a report to the Commission by August 11. The applicant has been asked to send his bank details to both the Commission and the municipal office so that the compensation can be transferred to his account,” the spokesperson added.