Caste certificates: a cash cow
With the caste certificate turning out to be the deciding factor to avail benefits under various reservation schemes, it goes without saying that this has emerged as a cash-churner in the hands of corrupt officials. The fact that these documents need to be renewed annually has ensured a regular source of income for concerned officials.
One of our respondents from Salem district in Tamil Nadu could not renew his OBC certificate despite having the necessary documents. He approached a middle man, paid Rs 600 and succeeded in obtaining it within a day (http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/bribe-obc-certificate).
The bribe-payer, like countless others, is forced to concede to any demand since the caste certificate literally holds the key to one’s future. This respondent appears pretty lucky when one considers the case of a student from Dhanbad district in Jharkhand. Even after payment of Rs 1,500 as bribe and waiting for a while, the student was not given the certificate, which he desperately needed to pursue his studies. The reason: officials wanted additional bribe and it was just beyond the means of the student. Clearly, his future has been tampered with.
There is a crying need for some reform here since the objective behind reservations to backward castes get nullified when individuals who do not belong to the category can pay and procure a certificate. No wonder this prompted the Supreme Court, which was hearing a case in connection with issual of caste certificates during local polls in Maharashtra to declare thus: wrongful grant of caste certificate is a fraud on the Constitution.
(By Surabhi.C & Sharanya.G))