In Dehradun, Medical Education Minister Subodh Uniyal has ordered an inquiry into allegations that fraudulent permanent residence and freedom‑fighter‑dependent certificates were used for medical college admissions in Uttarakhand. The minister directed the district magistrate to conduct the investigation and submit a report within a week, as the state’s MBBS admission and counselling process is currently underway.
Pradeep Bahuguna, who has raised the issue, met with the minister on Friday and handed a list of roughly 350 candidates whose documents he says warrant scrutiny. He clarified that he does not claim all certificates are forged, but that records and admission data raise suspicions and require official verification. The candidates largely completed schooling or took the NEET exam outside Uttarakhand, though that alone does not prove forgery.
The investigation will examine whether permanent‑residence and other certificates used to claim state quota or special‑category status were issued correctly. Bahuguna noted that some certificate numbers could not be found in the online portal and that a few had been linked to different individuals. He also urged a broader probe to uncover any organised network behind the alleged fraud. In related actions, the Dehradun administration sealed four Common Service Centre (CSC) locations on September 17 after detecting irregularities in their operations.
Uniyal said the matter reached him while he was in Australia and that initial checks revealed some fake certificates. He emphasized that the inquiry would look beyond the applicant to the issuance process, and hinted at a possible major gang involved. The minister warned that if a candidate gains admission on a forged certificate, the admission could be cancelled. He also mentioned pending complaints about multiple Aadhaar records linked to one person, which will be investigated if irregularities arise.
