Nativity certificates of 29 MBBS candidates issued sans scrutiny in Tamil Nadu: Panel
CHENNAI: A verification of the nativity certificates submitted by 296 students for admission to 2017-18 MBBS courses in the State through NEET under the CBSE category has revealed that 29 certificates have been issued without any inquiry or scrutiny, a panel of advocates and government officials informed the Madras High Court on Monday.
The panel made a random verification following a directive from Justice N Kirubakaran on a batch of pleas moved by aspiring medical student seeking to quash the merit list of the admission.The petitioners alleged that many students from other States had been allotted MBBS seats in Tamil Nadu, based on nativity certificates obtained fraudulently, which adversely affected their chances of getting seats.
During the hearing, it came to light that totally 1,269 students had applied from two States, claiming nativity for admission to medical course. All of them got admission in Tamil Nadu.
Subsequently, the court directed all advocates representing the petitioners and the government advocates to randomly verify the certificates.During a verification by the committee in the presence of the tahsildars concerned, it was found that of the certificates submitted by 296 students admitted under CBSE category, 29 were found to have been issued without any scrutiny.
“Eleven of them were issued by zonal deputy tahsildars against the rules. Such certificates were issued online, before actual physical certificates were prepared. After obtaining online certificates, parties make an application for physical copy, which is issued without any inquiry based on the online copy,” a memo filed by the advocates said.
The supporting documents filed for issuance of nativity certificates were vague and most of them did not denote the actual native place, the memo added. Recording the submissions, the judge directed the panel to file the findings in the form of an affidavit, to which the government should file a reply by January 22.
Went into allegations
The petitioners alleged that many students from other States had been allotted MBBS seats in TN, based on nativity certificates obtained fraudulently, which adversely affected their chances of getting seats.During hearing, it came to light that totally 1,269 students had applied from two States, claiming nativity for admission to medical course. All of them got admission in Tamil Nadu.Subsequently, the court directed all advocates to randomly verify the certificates