Fake birth certificate crackdown: BMC contemplates real-time audit of birth records
A BJP corporator’s proposal, set to be tabled at this month’s general body meeting, seeks to plug gaps in a system that Mayor Tawde says was exploited to give illegal Bangladeshi migrants a foothold in the city
The move follows a February 13 announcement by Mayor Tawde that 237 false birth certificates were allegedly issued to illegal immigrants to facilitate unlawful activity in the city. (File Photo)
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is contemplating putting its birth certificate issuance process under a real-time microscope, weeks after two of its health officials were booked for allegedly issuing fake certificates to illegal immigrants.
The audit proposal, mooted by BJP corporator Neil Somaiya of Mulund, son of former MP Kirit Somaiya who had flagged the issue with Mayor Ritu Tawde, is set to be tabled at the civic body’s general body meeting later this month. If cleared by vote, it will mandate regular audits of all birth registrations and certificate distributions across BMC ward offices.
The move follows a February 13 announcement by Mayor Tawde that 237 false birth certificates were allegedly issued to illegal immigrants to facilitate unlawful activity in the city. The certificates were traced to ward offices in Govandi, Mankhurd, Chembur and Kurla, areas that have previously come under scrutiny for allegedly sheltering illegal migrants.
Police complaints have since been registered against two former Medical Officers of Health from the M East ward, which covers Govandi and Deonar. Officials said the bulk of the fraudulent certificates were issued by these two officers. The M East ward area, along with Malvani in Malad, has previously been flagged in connection with allegations of harbouring illegal immigrants.
A senior civic official told The Indian Express that the certificates in question were issued between 2024 and 2025, a period when the Government of India’s online portal suffered prolonged technical glitches, leading to a backlog of nearly a year in certificate issuance.
“The pattern on the basis of which these certificates were issued appeared suspicious, and complaints were registered,” the official said.
Under the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, any infant born in a civic, government or private hospital must be registered regardless of nationality, a provision that, in this case, appears to have been exploited. “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 said.
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The audit, if approved, is intended to close this gap. It will include thorough background checks on the parents of infants as well as on the hospitals feeding registration data, in order to track irregularities at the source. For certificates issued to adults, the official noted that background verification of applicants is already mandated, but the process clearly broke down in these cases.
During the ongoing verification process, officials said they found that certificates had been issued to individuals who were not born in Mumbai, raising questions about how far the falsification extends and whether it is limited to the wards already identified.
Neil Somaiya’s note of agenda, submitted to the BMC administration, states “The population of illegal encroachers has shown an increase in various parts of Mumbai. As a result, many of these encroachers have allegedly been issued bogus birth certificates from some ward offices. This is a serious concern from the point of view of national security and administrative management in BMC.”
The proposal calls for a thorough examination of the entire birth registration and certificate distribution process to ensure compliance with rules, and seeks mechanisms to flag errors, delays and violations in real time. “The audit will help us take immediate measures for the errors and irregularities found, delays in the process, and cases of violation of rules,” Somaiya’s note adds.
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The proposal is to be taken up for discussion at BMC’s general body meeting later this month and will require a vote before it is formally cleared.
Mumbai mayor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ritu Tawde who soon after taking over anounced her intent to crackdown on what she described as illegal encroachments by Bangladeshi nationals on the city’s footpaths and public spaces.
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
