New Delhi: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has alleged a massive fake birth certificate racket in Maharashtra, claiming that thousands of undocumented foreign nationals, mainly from Bangladesh, have obtained fraudulent documents and Aadhaar cards.
Somaiya told IANS that the scam escalated after the 2024 amendment to the law, which shifted powers from judicial magistrates to tehsildars. “In 2024, the Indian government amended the law, transferring powers previously held by judicial magistrates to tehsildars. After this, a nationwide scam began. In Maharashtra, approval was given to issue birth certificates to 224,000 people. Upon review, it was found that 97 per cent of them were Muslims from a Bangladeshi background, aged 25, 30, 40, and 50, and had no proof of birth in Maharashtra or India,” he said.
According to him, the state has so far registered 28 FIRs, arrested 2,000 people, and plans to arrest another 3,000. The UIDAI has also cancelled thousands of Aadhaar cards linked to the alleged fake certificates.
Somaiya urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to deport undocumented Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. “I have requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take strict action against the 47,000 individuals whose birth certificates and Aadhaar cards were issued without verification. These people either belong to Bangladesh or are Rohingyas and should be deported immediately,” he said.
He cited Malegaon as an example, where authorities cancelled 3,977 birth entries for lack of supporting records. “In Malegaon, five FIRs have been filed and 539 people have been presented in court. Among them, 28 are government officials and many are agents. Investigations are ongoing against 1,539 individuals,” Somaiya said.
In Sambhajinagar, he noted, complaints were filed against 800 people, with 140 already presented in court. The scam, he alleged, has now spread to Mumbai’s Mankhurd area, where “the tehsildar and district officer had only approved residency for three people, but a corrupt BMC officer issued documents to 106 individuals.”
Somaiya said the crackdown in 2024 reduced the number of birth certificate applications in 2025 from 224,000 to around 2,000.
Praising Maharashtra’s action, he claimed, “Central officials have acknowledged that Maharashtra has brought this issue to national attention. Just like 47,000 fraudulent cases were cancelled in Maharashtra, similar action is being taken in other states.”
Taking aim at the opposition, Somaiya contrasted Devendra Fadnavis’ schemes with those of Uddhav Thackeray. “The plans that Uddhav Thackeray made were for himself, his team, and his people to siphon money. But Devendra Fadnavis planned to give money to 'Ladli Behnas,” he said.