West Bengal Voter Flagged After Submitting Birth Certificate Issued Before Birth

A resident of Baranagar Assembly constituency in West Bengal has drawn the attention of election authorities for allegedly furnishing a questionable birth certificate during the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. The document submitted mentioned March 6, 1993, as the individual’s date of birth, but officials observed that the certificate itself was issued on March 4, 1993—two days before the stated birth date.

Election officials flagged the discrepancy, noting that issuing a birth certificate prior to the actual birth is not legally or procedurally possible. As a result, the document was deemed suspicious, leading the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer to direct the Electoral Registration Officer to initiate strict legal proceedings. The action has been recommended under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with penalties for providing false information in electoral processes.

Meanwhile, the verification exercise linked to the SIR drive in West Bengal is still ongoing. Authorities have set February 21 as the final deadline for verification after seeking additional time from the Election Commission of India. Nearly five per cent of cases remain under review, leading to a delay in the publication of the final electoral roll, which will now be released on February 21 instead of the earlier scheduled February 14.