In a stern move against alleged document forgery, the Allahabad High Court has ordered the Prayagraj Police Commissioner to immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) against a man and concerned gram panchayat officials. The case involves a shocking attempt to manipulate the petitioner's date of birth by over a decade.
Court Uncovers Absurd Age Claim
A division bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anish Kumar Gupta issued the directive on January 5, 2024. The court was hearing a writ petition filed by one Shiv Shankar Pal, who sought a direction to the passport authority to correct his date of birth on his passport from July 11, 1994, to July 11, 2005.
However, upon examining the records, the bench discovered glaring inconsistencies. The court noted that the petitioner's high school examination certificate, issued by the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad in 2011, clearly recorded his date of birth as 1994. This meant that if his claim of being born in 2005 was accepted, he would have appeared for the high school exam at the improbable age of approximately six years old.
Fabricated Documents and "Widespread Corruption"
The bench expressed deep anguish over the documents presented, terming the situation "shocking." It remarked that the extent of fabrication was a direct result of "widespread corruption." The court scrutinized several key documents:
- The original Aadhaar card submitted during the passport application showed the date of birth as 1994.
- A copy of the Aadhaar card attached to the writ petition, however, showed the date of birth as 2005, indicating a subsequent correction.
- A birth certificate issued by the gram panchayat in Prayagraj in November 2024 (reported as 2025 in the order) certified the date of birth as 2005.
This trail of contradictory documents pointed to deliberate manipulation.
FIR Ordered, Strict Deadline Set
Taking a stern view of the evident "lack of bona fides" and "manipulations," the court directed the Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, to forthwith register an FIR. The case is to be filed under the relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for the offences of cheating and forgery.
The accused include not only the petitioner, Shiv Shankar Pal, but also the concerned officials of the gram panchayat who issued the disputed birth certificate. The court has listed the matter for January 27, 2024, at the top of the list for compliance. It issued a clear warning that in the event of non-compliance, it would proceed against the Police Commissioner himself.
This decisive action highlights the judiciary's crackdown on administrative corruption and document fraud, aiming to uphold the integrity of official records.
