A well-organised syndicate issuing certificates of income/caste etc to the non-eligible persons from Tehsil office in Sambhal district came to the fore during an enquiry by Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usmani. Surprisingly, to conceal the crime, the local thesil authorities even tried to burn the records.
Interestingly, many youths had used these certificates in getting government jobs or profit of other government sponsored schemes. Now, Usmani ordered a high level probe into the matter by district magistrate of Sambhal, and also directed to initiate Departmental as well as legal proceedings against the officials already held guilty during probe by him. Usmani, claimed that once the DM would submit it’s report, he would recommend scrutiny of all the certificates issued from Sambhal thesil and on whose basis, anyone get job or any other kind of government benefit.
Disclosing the above sensational facts to `The Pioneer’ here on Thursday afternoon, Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usmani revealed that one Saad Usmani, hailing from lodhi Sarai area of Sambhal, had brought to his notice about a ‘syndicate’ active in the district thesil office, which is issuing income/caste and other certificates to the persons who were not eligible for it. Complainant also disclosed that many persons had used their certificates in getting jobs particularly in the Health Department etc.
Usmani claimed that he looked into the allegations and summoned Thesildar of Sambhal, Durga Shankar Gupta, who is also Right to Information Officer of Sambhal Thesil, and enquired the matter from him. According to Usmani, the thesildar admitted that the signature on the certificate issued to non-eligible persons from his office in the year 2012 was made by him but he said that he issued the documents on basis of report submitted by the local revenue inspector Mufeed Ali and lekhpal, Madan Pal. Subsequently, both Mufeed and Madan Pal, who had now also retired from the service were summoned.
Usmani claimed that initially Ali and Pal refused that they not signed the documents and that their signatures were forged by someone. However, Usmani said that when he tightened the nose and asked both the officers that he would get their signatures matched, both the officials confessed of the crime and revealed that they had made the signatures to issue the certificates to non-eligible candidates. He also added that it was also brought to his notice that the officials at Thesil Office in Sambhal, had burnt some records which were related to issue of fake certificates, just to save their skins from action.
Usmani said that finding the matter very serious, he now asked DM Sambhal to probe the matter and also to get a case registered in the matter and take legal action. He also directed DM also to initiate Departmental proceedings against all the officials found guilty in the matter including the sitting Thesildar. Usmani said that he gave one month time to the DM to complete the enquiry and submit his report before him for further necessary action in the matter.