The Patna administration has been left red in the face after its Masaurhi block office issued a residential certificate in the name of a dog, complete with name, address details, a photograph and a QR code as a mark of authentication. Issued on July 24, the certificate now stands cancelled.
This assumes significance at a time when residential certificates have become the most sought-after document of the 11 required for Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Patna District Magistrate Thiyagarajan SM told The Indian Express that “the certificate was cancelled two minutes after it was issued”. “An FIR is being filed. We will identify the applicant through the cyber cell and take strict action. The revenue karmachari and their manager are being suspended,” he said.
On their part, officials at the Masaurhi office put it down to a “gross lapse” on account of a surge in applications.
The certificate carried the digital signature of the revenue officer. Typically, the manager of the Right to Public Service Centre (RTPS) at any block office is required to match address details on an online application with an attached document, Aadhaar cards, EPIC, or bank passbook copy showing the applicants’ address while issuing such certificates.
The now-cancelled residential certificate shows an image of a dog. The text in Hindi reads: “This is to certify that Dog Babu, father: Kutta Babu, mother: Kutiya Devi, is a permanent resident of village/mohalla: Kaulichak, ward number-15, post office: Masaurhi, PIN- 804452, police station, block- Masaurhi, sub-division-Masaurhi, district-Patna, Bihar.”
The certificate was digitally signed by a revenue officer, with a QR code on the bottom left to mark its authenticity under the Bihar Right to Public Services Act, 2011.
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The official was not available for comment. With the certificate now standing cancelled, a scan of the QR on the certificate no longer throws up results.
According to officials, the Masaurhi revenue officer and RTPS centre manager are “prima facie found guilty of not verifying the name, address, and photograph on the application clearly showing the image of a dog in the photograph box”.
“They also did not check the attached document, Aadhaar card image, and the address mentioned on it. The details obviously did not match,” one official said.
A Masaurhi police officer said: “The accused seems to have applied through a cyber cafe using someone else’s Aadhaar number. The cyber cell will help us identify the source from where the application form was filed. As of now, an FIR will be filed against unknown persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Information Technology Act, 2000”.
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Details will be dealt with during the police investigation, the Patna DM, Thiyagarajan SM, said.
Typically, anyone can apply for a residential certificate online through RTPS with or without logging in as a registered user. In most cases, people apply through cyber cafes, often without logging in to the RTPS site.
For a residential certificate, one has to fill out a form with one’s complete address. Once the form is filled, it asks for one’s photograph, and a photocopy of either Aadhaar or bank passbook. Once the form is submitted, it takes 6-15 days to process.
The RTPS centre has to match details in the form – including one’s photo — with supporting documents. Although it’s usually the manager who issues the certificate, the final issuing authority is the digital signatory revenue officer, who has to check each certificate before it’s uploaded online.
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Between 2011 and 2025, about 13 crore residential certificates have been issued in Bihar. After ECI started Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on 25 June, about 55 lakh residential applications have been received at the RTPS centre. About 15 lakh applications are still pending. Residential certificate — one of 11 ECI-mandated documents for SIR — is the easiest to secure.
