Supreme Court Issues Notice To Union Govt On Framing Guidelines For Issuance Of Birth And Death Certificates Digitally

The Supreme Court recently issued notice to the Union of India on the question of formulating appropriate guidelines for the uniform issuance of these vital documents through digital means. The Court ordered: “Issue notice to the Union of India to be served through the concerned Additional Solicitor General on the question of formulating appropriate guidelines for uniform issuance of birth and death certificates, through digital mode to avoid delay and inconvenience to those who wish to apply for it. Notice to the Union shall be served directly by the Registry.” The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Aravind Kumar was hearing a Special Leave Petition against the judgment of the Madras High Court which had taken into account the age of the petitioner as a mitigating circumstance to reduce the sentence from 3 years to 1 year rigorous imprisonment for conviction under section 7 and 13 r/w 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 The case in question involved the petitioner who was a Village Administrative Officer in Melapungudi village, Sivagangai District. The trial court convicted and sentenced him to 3 years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.1,000/-, in default to undergo 6 months Rigorous imprisonment for the offenses under sections 7 and 13 r/w 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act In the appeal before the Madras High Court, the petitioner highlighted that the crime was of the year 2004, now 18 years have lapsed and during that period, the age of the petitioner is now 78 years.