Cuttack: In a significant ruling, the Orissa High Court has held that the date of birth (DOB) recorded in a Matriculation or Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) must be accepted as the authentic DOB for all purposes.
A Division Bench of Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by Prabir Kumar Muduli, an employee of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), who sought correction of his date of birth in official service records.
Muduli joined FCI as a WMC System Worker on January 17, 1991. His service book recorded his DOB as August 5, 1966. However, after clearing the HSC examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education in 1992, his pass certificate reflected his DOB as April 27, 1972, based on his school admission register.
Following the discrepancy, Muduli submitted an affidavit and repeatedly applied to FCI management requesting correction of his DOB. Despite several representations, the FCI authorities rejected his request on December 26, 2022. Challenging this decision, he approached the High Court in 2023.
After examining the matter, the Court ruled that the DOB mentioned in the HSC certificate must prevail. Accordingly, it directed FCI to rectify Muduli’s service records in accordance with the HSC details. The court further instructed the authorities to comply within two months and issue necessary orders.
Senior advocate Lakshmidhar Pangari, assisted by advocate Sohan Mishra, represented the petitioner.
