Mumbai: Fake caste papers for civic polls see no FIRs

The BMC elections are due this year. File pic

AMID claims by all parties about their fight for the OBC quota, the BMC and the government's caste scrutiny department have miserably failed in initiating criminal proceedings against candidates who submit bogus caste certificates to gain an unfair advantage over their rivals. In early 2022, Vikhroli-based Zariruddin Khan sought to know under the Right to Information Act if an FIR had been registered against former corporator Rahebar Siraj Khan for allegedly providing a fake caste certificate.

The RTI applicant was taken aback to learn that no agency has taken any action yet. In fact, the BMC and the caste scrutiny committee pointed fingers at each other when it came to taking the initiative to register an FIR. The RTI applicant said BMC officials claimed it is the caste scrutiny and validity department which should be registering an offence, while the state government department claimed otherwise.

Citizens wait for their turn to cast their votes, during the 2017 BMC polls, at Goregaon. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Rahebar Khan said his victory in 2007 civic polls from one of the Bandra West seats as an independent candidate did not go well with the then Congress MLA and MP. "In 2012 civic polls, Congress leaders ensured that I was out of the BMC election race. They [Congress leaders] conspired against me and kept me at bay during polls through this caste certificate validity issue," said Khan. Rahebar's is not the only case where the authorities have failed to lodge a criminal case for allegedly producing fake caste certificates.

Tabrez Shaikh, who runs the non-profit Hope Foundation, said the administration should take stern action and register an FIR against those producing bogus caste documents. "Punitive action will only prove to be a deterrent in such cases or else many aspirant candidates will continue to submit fake papers as it is visible by the number of corporators disqualified by the BMC for submitting fake caste certificates," Shaikh added.

In a reply to an RTI application in 2019, the BMC had stated that not a single councillor had been booked for producing fake caste certificates to win a seat in the last three polls held in 2007, 2012 and 2017. Activist Anil Galgali had filed an RTI asking the BMC about the action taken against erring corporators. The civic body had replied that 20 corporators were disqualified for providing fake caste certificates in BMC elections between 2007 to 2017. Other than these 20 corporators, Galgali said several aspiring candidates were disqualified at the scrutiny level itself for giving wrong or false caste certificates.

The activist called out the political parties that claim to be fighting for OBC reservation. "But, none of them are raising their voice against the use of fake caste certificates by many candidates. Ideally, political leaders cutting across party lines should put up a united front and ensure that people involved in such cases are punished with criminal offences so that no one will dare to misuse the provision of electoral reservation meant for the betterment of a community."

20
No of corporators who used fake caste papers between 2007 & 2017