Delhi EWS Admissions Hit by Widespread Duplicate Registration Scandal
Duplicate registrations have severely plagued admissions under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in Delhi over recent years. Numerous cases have emerged where the same candidate appears multiple times under different registration IDs, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the system.
Alarming Patterns and Systemic Failures
Data accessed reveals that key details such as name, date of birth, father’s name, and address often remain identical across entries, clearly indicating the same individual. Despite this, separate entries exist in the system, sometimes resulting in multiple school allotments for a single candidate. Sources indicate that since 2018, thousands of such cases have been uncovered annually through internal checks. A sample of 52 cases from the 2024-25 session highlights the extent of the issue.
Beyond duplication, sources have pointed to other irregular patterns. In some instances, a specific keyword "mew" appeared in applications, with about 90% of those featuring this keyword in their names being selected. Additionally, there have been cases where a single certificate or phone number was used for dozens of applications, suggesting coordinated manipulation.
Official Confirmation and Investigation
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood confirmed the detection of these anomalies, stating, "We have found many kinds of discrepancies. We have initiated an inquiry into this and are considering roping in CBI." He provided stark numbers: during the 2024-25 session, a total of 2,40,084 applications were received for admissions under EWS/DG/CWSN categories. Of these, more than 1 lakh applications were identified as multiple or duplicate entries, approximately 75% higher than the number of genuine applications. This surge offers a grim estimate of how many such cases may have existed each year, with seats allegedly being allocated to ineligible candidates for substantial sums of money.
School-Level Implications and Process Weaknesses
At the school level, officials noted that their role is largely indirect, as schools do not control the centralised lottery process. However, they may still observe repeated or suspicious entries in admission lists, with some students securing spots in prominent institutions. Multiple queries sent to the Aam Aadmi Party, which was in office at the time, went unanswered, and most schools contacted did not respond. A principal from a central Delhi school explained, "EWS admissions are through the directorate. All schools get the EWS list from the directorate and comply with that. We receive a complete list with registration numbers," declining to comment on verification practices.
Officials elaborated that the process often starts with a legitimate EWS application, but high competition leads to rejection. Some applicants then turn to agents who exploit earlier system weaknesses by submitting multiple applications with minor variations. "With weak deduplication checks, each entry is treated as a separate candidate in the centralised lottery, increasing the probability of selection," an official explained. Examples include cases where only the registration ID differed while all other details—name, father’s name, date of birth, address, and even the allotted school—remained identical. Other variations involved different registration IDs and dates of birth with the same personal information, or different schools allotted despite identical details. Slight address modifications or applications for different classes using the same core details were also noted, with sources stating these are just a few examples of the permutations used to generate multiple IDs due to lax verification.
Consequences and Corrective Measures
This manipulation can result in one child securing multiple allotments, even across schools. Since only one seat is ultimately taken, the others remain blocked, reducing access for genuine applicants and potentially enabling backdoor entries. Sources also hinted at the possible involvement of agent networks or data entry operators in facilitating duplicate registrations.
Sood added that upon taking charge, they used the same system for the draw, but complaints soon surfaced. "On investigation, we found the software was neither properly coded nor approved, and had no audit checks," he said. Officials have since implemented several corrective steps this year. "With technological improvements, NIC-developed software and Aadhaar-based verification, effective checks have been implemented to eliminate duplicate and erroneous applications," an official stated, aiming to restore fairness to the admission process.
