Mumbai: Between May 8 and June 5, 221 government certificates were allegedly issued without requisite supporting documents in the F/South and F/North divisions, according to a scrutiny committee probing the alleged misuse of digital signatures in which Mumbai city deputy collector Ganesh Sangale and revenue assistant Nagnath Lolewar have been named.
The duo is accused of misusing the digital signature of a junior revenue officer to issue income, domicile and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates without authorisation. The committee examined 1,023 out of 2,039 certificates issued in the two divisions and found that 221 had allegedly been issued without supporting documents or evidence. Verification of the remaining certificates is underway.
Police are also investigating whether any of the allegedly irregular certificates were used to obtain government benefits, admissions, employment or other entitlements and whether other officials or private individuals were involved in a wider conspiracy.
Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the processing of the 221 certificates to determine the nature of the alleged irregularities, identify beneficiaries and establish whether the lapses form part of a larger conspiracy within or beyond the collectorate. A senior police officer said documentary evidence is being analysed and statements of concerned officials are being recorded. Once the preliminary inquiry is complete, summons will be issued to the accused and others linked to the case for questioning.
For the F/South and F/North divisions of Mumbai City, tahsildar Sandeep Aawari was the designated authority. However, after he proceeded on leave from May 8, charge of the post was handed over to Sanket Yamgar, tahsildar of the Sanjay Gandhi Yojana Branch. Consequently, all certificates issued during the period were required to carry Yamgar's digital signature.
The FIR alleged that Sangale orally instructed nayab tahsildar Dipali Kulkarni to generate her own digital signature. Kulkarni, in her statement to the police, claimed that she created the digital signature and handed it over to Sangale on his instructions. Police suspect that he allegedly routed the issuance of certificates through Revenue Assistant Lolewar.
The alleged irregularities came to light during an internal verification ordered by Additional Collector Bappasaheb Thorat.
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