3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 25, 2026 07:28 AM IST
Officials clarified that under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, all births occurring in civic, government or private hospitals must be registered irrespective of nationality. However, applications from adults require background verification before certificates are issued.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has launched a sweeping scrutiny of birth records issued since 2016, a day after lodging police complaints against two Medical Officers of Health for allegedly issuing fake birth certificates. Civic officials said the certificates in question were granted to individuals who were not born in any Mumbai hospital. The two officers had been suspended prior to the complaints being filed.
Officials clarified that under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, all births occurring in civic, government or private hospitals must be registered irrespective of nationality. However, applications from adults require background verification before certificates are issued.
“The Registration of Birth and Deaths (RBD) act mandates that any infant born in a civic, government or private hospital needs to be registered irrespective of their nationality. However, if the certificate is issued to a grown up then background verification of the applicants are carried out before issuing the certificates,” an official told The Indian Express.
“In this case, during our verification process, we found out that the certificates were issued to individuals who were not born in Mumbai. The certificate is issued on the basis of information fed by the hospital where the childbirth takes place. So in this case, the hospital administration is also at fault,” the official added.
Officials described the review of records dating back to 2016 as a mammoth exercise and said the process is also being guided by complaints and tip offs received by the department.
On February 13, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde had announced that 237 false birth certificates were allegedly issued to illegal infiltrators to facilitate illegal businesses in the city. Civic sources said the certificates were issued over the past two years by the M East ward offices in Govandi and Mankhurd, the M West ward in Chembur and the L ward in Kurla.
Officials said the bulk of the certificates were issued by the two officers against whom police complaints have now been registered. The accused, Dr Sanjay Funde and Dr Pradeep Kashale, are former Medical Officers of Health in the M East ward, which covers Govandi and Deonar. The area, along with Malvani in Malad, has previously been under scrutiny over allegations of sheltering illegal immigrants.
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“These certificates were issued between 2024 and 2025, at a time when the government of India’s portal was facing some glitches and we couldn’t issue certificates for nearly a year and backlogs piled up. Therefore, the pattern on the basis of which these certificates were issued appeared suspicious and complaints were registered,” the official said.
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority
Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
Experience
Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
