In a writ petition filed before the Allahabad High Court, a Division Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Anish Kumar Gupta took note of two birth certificates issued to the petitioner and directed the Principal Secretary, Department of Medical and Health, to furnish an affidavit regarding the same while impleading him as a respondent to the matter.

The Deputy Director, UIDAI Regional Office, Lucknow, submitted the documents with two birth certificates of the petitioner, both issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, but at two different places, one from the Gram Panchayat, Har Singhpur, and the other from the Primary Health Centre, Manauta.

The birth certificate issued by the Primary Health Centre showed the petitioner’s date of birth as 10-12-2007, whereas the one issued by the Gram Panchayat showed it as 01-01-2005.

Prima facie, the Court found the case to be a mess. It appeared to the Court that anyone, at any time, could obtain a birth certificate with any date they wanted from anywhere in the State. The Court stated that this shows the extent of dishonesty at all levels and how easy it is to obtain these documents, which can be used as strong prima facie evidence even in criminal prosecutions.

To clarify the situation, the Court directed the Principal Secretary, Department of Medical and Health, to be impleaded as a respondent and to file an affidavit explaining the state of affairs in the department, specifically regarding the issuance of birth certificates. The Principal Secretary was also directed to outline the steps in place to ensure that no fraudulent certificates are issued.

Further, if the system in the department is broken, the Court also directed the Principal Secretary to suggest steps to rectify the said anomaly to ensure that only one birth certificate is ever issued.

The case has now been listed on 10-12-2025.

Appearances:

For Petitioner – Gyanendra Kumar Saini, Sheikh Moazzam Inam

For Respondents – A.S.G.I., Rajesh Tripathi