According to allegations raised by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya, the certificates were illegally generated using the BMC’s outdated and discontinued SAP system. This occurred despite the civic body having officially transitioned to the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal on January 1, 2016. In response to the findings, action has already been initiated, with four health officers suspended for their alleged involvement in the irregularities.
Somaiya has been actively pursuing the issue since July 2025. He stated that he has consistently worked to expose the scam and brought it to public attention through posts on social media platform X. He also expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BMC Commissioner for ordering an investigation into the matter.
Detailed data highlights the scale of the alleged manipulation. In 2024, 30,507 birth certificates were re-registered; in 2025, the number rose to 48,705; and in 2026, an additional 7,135 entries were recorded. Between 2024 and 2026, a total of 87,149 entries were made through the SAP system, while only 33,772 official entries were recorded on the CRS portal during the same period. Several ward-level medical officers are accused of making unauthorized changes in the outdated SAP-based citizen registration system, bypassing the mandated CRS platform.
The issue has taken on a more serious dimension, with BMC Mayor Ritu Tawde and Kirit Somaiya describing it as a matter linked to national security. They have raised concerns that such fraudulent birth certificates could have been used to grant legal identity to illegal infiltrators.
Further escalation is expected, as Somaiya is scheduled to file a formal complaint at Azad Maidan Police Station later this evening. The case underscores significant lapses in administrative oversight and raises critical questions about data integrity, accountability, and the safeguarding of identity documentation systems in one of India’s largest municipal bodies.
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