Pune: Bombay HC Restores PMC’s Authority To Correct Birth And Death Certificates, Pending Applications To Be Cleared Soon
Pune: Bombay HC Restores PMC’s Authority To Correct Birth And Death Certificates, Pending Applications To Be Cleared Soon
Pune, July 17, 2026: In a major relief for citizens, the Bombay High Court has clarified that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has the authority to make corrections in birth and death certificates.
Following the ruling, Standing Committee Chairman Shrinath Bhimale has directed the civic administration to immediately resume the correction process and dispose of all pending applications within a fixed timeline.
The decision restores PMC’s powers to correct details such as names, spelling errors, dates of birth, parents’ names, gender, and other information in birth and death records. Citizens can now apply for these corrections through the municipal process.
The correction service had remained suspended for nearly a month due to uncertainty over the authority to make amendments. Bhimale chaired a review meeting at the PMC on Thursday and instructed officials to resolve any software or technical issues without delay so that the correction process can resume smoothly.
According to civic officials, the PMC receives around 70 to 100 applications daily for corrections. The delay in rectifying minor errors in birth and death certificates has caused significant inconvenience to residents, affecting school and college admissions, passport applications, Aadhaar updates, voter ID registrations, banking transactions, and inheritance-related documentation.
The disruption was also linked to the migration of nearly 2.4 million records created before 2019 and technical changes made to the registration software, which had slowed the correction process.
Calling the High Court’s decision a citizen-friendly move, Bhimale instructed the administration to ensure the ruling is implemented effectively and that all pending applications are cleared within the prescribed timeframe. The move is expected to provide significant relief to thousands of residents awaiting corrections in their official records.
