E-Paper
Uttarakhand SIT starts probe into use of fake certificates in MBBS admissions
Dhami said obtaining admission through the backdoor by ineligible candidates is as serious an offence as examination malpractice
Prefer HTon Google
A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Jaya Baloni, superintendent police (Rural), began investigating allegations of fraudulent MBBS admissions in Uttarakhand using fake freedom fighter-dependent and other certificates, following directions from chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Baloni said the SIT formally started an in-depth investigation into the alleged fake freedom fighter certificate racket that compromised seats during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test- Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 centralised counselling.
“During the investigation, it came to light that Dharamveer Verma, whose freedom fighter credentials were allegedly used fraudulently for admissions, was a freedom fighter who had died. His son and grandson had no knowledge of how the freedom fighter certificate was being used for admission”, she said.
“Currently, we are focusing on the fake freedom fighter certificates and have questioned several people in this regard. We have also sought records from various departments related to the incident, which we expect to receive by Monday,” Baloni said.
She said the SIT is examining all aspects of the matter but was currently focusing on cases involving fake freedom fighter certificates in which first information reports (FIRs) were registered. If other instances involving fraudulent use of quota certificates came to light, the investigation could be expanded, she added.
Asked whether an interstate gang was working in collusion with administrative officials, Baloni said prima facie it appears that a gang could be involved. She said negligence by government officials involved in the process was evident, but the SIT is investigating whether officials had colluded with the alleged gang or whether the irregularities resulted from an excessive workload.
The CM also ordered an expanded verification exercise covering all reserved categories after preliminary inquiries found that multiple candidates allegedly secured medical college admissions using fabricated documents.
Dhami said obtaining admission through the backdoor by ineligible candidates is as serious an offence as examination malpractice and directed administrative and legal action against beneficiaries as well as officials involved in issuing bogus documents.
The action already led to the cancellation of admission status and certificates of eight candidates, according to the government officials.
The SIT also questioned officials at the sub-divisional magistrate’s office in the presence of SDM Apoorva Singh, focusing on revenue patwaris responsible for processing verification reports. The team has directed officials to segregate files relating to freedom fighter dependents and audit the process from the initial application to issuance of the final certificate.
The probe follows two FIRs registered in Dehradun. Clement Town police booked candidate Tripti and her mother, Uma Devi, while Raipur police named candidates Khushi, Pari and Swati, placing five women under formal investigation.
Dehradun district administration’s scrutiny had earlier found that four disqualified candidates had used an identical freedom fighter identity card purportedly belonging to Dharamveer Verma.
The matter came to light after Pradeep Bahuguna, son of late environmentalist Padma Vibhushan Sunderlal Bahuguna and a social activist, submitted a complaint to the Dehradun district magistrate, with copies marked to the minister for health and medical education.
Bahuguna alleged that several candidates who completed their Class 10 and 12 schooling outside Uttarakhand obtained online domicile and freedom fighter-dependent certificates at the last minute without mandatory multi-tier field verification.
Dr Ashutosh Sayana, director, medical education, formally sought an urgent magisterial inquiry on September 8 ahead of the counselling choice-filling deadline, citing dossiers that allegedly showed multiple beneficiaries from a single family.
The investigation widened on September 18 when Bahuguna met Subodh Uniyal, minister for health and medical education, and submitted an expanded dossier containing a list of approximately 370 individuals alleged to have obtained government benefits and professional course admissions using forged documents.
The SIT is now continuing its examination of revenue officials and application records to identify the network allegedly involved in manufacturing and approving fraudulent credentials.
Bahuguna said the addresses of those allegedly involved could be obtained from the colleges where they had sought admission to facilitate their arrest. He also called for an investigation into the alleged fraudulent use of domicile and other quota certificates to determine whether the matter extended beyond freedom fighter-dependent certificates.
