Bengal govt begins verification of caste certificates issued during TMC regime; 45,000 under scanner

The West Bengal government has begun a large-scale verification of caste certificates issued during the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime, with more than 45,000 documents under scrutiny and 135 already cancelled, senior officials said on Wednesday, August 5.

A total of 1,22,117 caste certificates have been re-verified so far, he said, adding that of these, 76,750 documents, or nearly 62.8 %, have been found to be valid.

However, over 45,000 certificates have been flagged for further examination, while 135 have been cancelled after verification, the official said.

The exercise follows allegations of large-scale irregularities in the issuance of OBC, Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates during the TMC rule.

A senior bureaucrat at the state secretariat said the verification drive was being carried out to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries retained caste certificates.

"The objective is to verify every certificate strictly in accordance with the prescribed rules. Wherever discrepancies are found, due legal procedure will be followed. The exercise is intended to protect the integrity of the certification process and ensure that benefits reach only eligible persons," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had directed officials to verify all caste certificates issued during the previous regime, he said.

The inquiry revealed that a large number of caste certificates were issued through 'Duare Sarkar' camps held across different booth areas, with many allegedly granted without proper verification.

Incidentally, addressing a public meeting in Bankura on 'Hul Diwas', Adhikari had warned that both the issuer and the recipient would face arrest if any caste certificate was found to have been obtained fraudulently.

In the first phase, authorities focused on certificates issued through the 'Duare Sarkar' outreach camps, particularly those processed within a week or less.

"Under the prescribed procedure, documents submitted by an applicant have to be verified and field-level inquiries, including hearings in the applicant's locality, are required before a certificate is issued. In many cases, these mandatory procedures appear not to have been followed," another senior official at the state secretariat said.

The government believes that the simplification of the certification process during the previous regime may have led to procedural lapses, allowing some ineligible persons to obtain caste certificates, the bureaucrat elaborated.

The verification drive is continuing, and officials said further action would be taken wherever irregularities are established.