Baba Farid University issues notice to 16 over fake domicile certificates

Faridkot, August 2

A day after a controversy erupted over the use of multiple states’ domiciles to get admission in the MBBS course in Punjab, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) on Wednesday claimed to have identified 16 candidates who have allegedly applied for benefit of residence in Punjab and other states for state quota seats.

According to the list of these candidates, released by BFUHS today, five of these candidates with dubious multiple state domiciles had applied for admission in Punjab as well as Haryana.

24-hr window to prove authenticity

In case the candidates do not provide any documentary evidence to prove the authenticity of their domiciles within next 24 hours, their candidature for benefit of residence for Punjab state quota seats will be cancelled. —Dr Nirmal Ouseppachan, Registrar, BFUHS

Eight candidates sought to take double benefit of domicile certificate in UP and Punjab. Two candidates have applied for state quota seats in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab at the same time. One candidate has sought the benefit of domicile in Rajasthan as well as in Punjab.

Though the university has got a list of 107 such dubious candidates, BFUHS has issued notices to 16 candidates after the scrutiny of this list at the preliminary stage.

These candidates have been directed to produce documentary evidence in favour of their claim for state quota seats in Punjab.

In case, these candidates do not provide any documentary evidence within the next 24 hours, their candidature for benefit of residence for Punjab state quota seats would be cancelled, said BFUHS Registrar Dr Nirmal Ouseppachan.

For the state quota seats, a candidate cannot apply in more than one state, said the Registrar.

In view of the controversy and the university receiving complaints regarding many candidates using double domicile in more than one state to get admission in the MBBS course, it has been made mandatory that the candidate and his parents/guardian shall submit a sworn declaration that the candidate has not sought admission to MBBS/BDS course under state quota seats of any other state and has sought benefit of the state of Punjab only, said the Registrar.

The government has notified that only those candidates who have mentioned Punjab as their domicile in the NEET-UG entrance test form would be eligible for 1,550 MBBS and 1,325 BDS state quota seats in 11 medical and 16 dental colleges, said Dr Rajiv Sood, BFUHS V-C.