The Delhi High Court has instructed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to amend the birth date of a student in its records, reinforcing the “presumption of correctness” of official birth certificates. The directive came from a bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish V Shankar, who highlighted the “imminent need” to align all official documents, ensuring they accurately reflect a citizen’s identity. This decision follows the rejection of CBSE’s appeal against a single judge’s order mandating the correction of the birth date as recorded in 1999 certificates.
In its observations, the court stressed, “A citizen of this country is entitled to a true and correct narration of all necessary and relevant particulars in the public documents that pertain to them. The CBSE is a record keeper of considerable importance.”
This ruling stresses the critical role of public documents in confirming details that impact a person’s identity and legal standing. The court noted that an official birth certificate carries a statutory “presumption of correctness,” and urged CBSE to acknowledge such documents when making corrections.
The student’s appeal for a birth date correction was based on a certificate issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation. The court remarked that no challenge was made to the authenticity of this document. It further observed that discrepancies in such records, particularly when they conflict with documents like passports, could lead to significant issues in employment and immigration processes.
The court opined that the matriculation certificate is considered an “unassailable proof of date of birth.”
CBSE’s defence argued that the correction request was submitted beyond the permissible period established by examination bye-laws, noting also that the records are over a decade old. However, the single judge had previously determined that the incorrect birth date was not due to a clerical error but an honest mistake, a decision the Delhi High Court found to be sound, thus rejecting CBSE’s appeal. This case underscores the imperative of accurate public records and the duty of educational boards to preserve such details.
(With PTI inputs)