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A government resolution (GR) issued on December 1 also directed officials to stop accepting Aadhaar as a valid proof for registering or modifying birth details.
Fourteen districts, including Amravati, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Akola, Parbhani, Beed and Nashik, have been identified for a large number of suspicious delayed certificates.
The government has directed revenue, health and urban local bodies to retrieve such certificates and re-verify them. Any certificate failing legal scrutiny should be immediately canceled and removed from the Civil Registration System portal.
The move follows complaints by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleging that illegal Bangladeshi citizens are obtaining delayed birth certificates to settle in Maharashtra.
The direction comes as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in nine states and three Union Territories. Maharashtra will start the exercise from February 2026.
According to the GR issued by the Revenue and Forest Department, many of the delayed certificates were allegedly issued without supporting documents such as hospital records, school admission forms or original birth entries. It is reiterated that Aadhaar cannot be used as proof for birth related information.
After the August 11, 2023 amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, only Tehsildars, Sub-Divisional Officers and District Collectors are authorized to issue delayed certificates. Any certificate issued without proper verification after modification should be withdrawn and re-examined.
If the date of birth on the Aadhaar card is different from the date declared in the application, the authorities should immediately file a police complaint. Cases involving suspected forgery or manipulation will require filing of an FIR.
Local authorities in the identified 14 districts have been asked to conduct reconciliation drives and collect original certificates from the applicants. The GR also highlights cases where certificates were issued despite lack of authorization from tehsildars.
Municipal bodies have been asked to coordinate with tehsildars to verify such cases and take corrective action. If any beneficiary refuses to surrender the canceled certificate, the authorities will have to seek police assistance. Applicants who could not be traced or are believed to have absconded should be listed and legal action initiated.
District Collectors have been directed to hold one-day review meetings with revenue officials, local bodies and police to ensure coordinated implementation and submit progress reports to the state government in the prescribed format.