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As humans, when we have any problem or illness in our body, we immediately seek a doctor. We trust and follow the prescriptions and instructions prescribed by the doctors.
So what happens next if a doctor who has treated tens of thousands of patients for years turns out to be fake?
A similar case has taken place in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The court has convicted the accused doctor in the case.
How did a doctor join college by giving a fake twelfth grade certificate to join MBBS course at the age of 17? What were the arguments and defenses presented in the case which lasted for 41 years and 10 months?
Who was this ‘fake doctor’ and how did he pass and what was his punishment in court?
Medical admission through fake marks certificate
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BJ in Gujarat state in July 1980. 17-year-old Utpal Ambubai Patel had submitted 2 applications for admission to the MBBS course in the medical college.
In one of the applications, Utpal had attached the mark certificate in which he had secured 48.44% marks.
But his application was rejected by the medical college management. According to the then prevailing rules, a minimum of 55% marks was required for admission to the medical course.
A few days after the first application was rejected, Utpal submitted another application. A new grade certificate was added to it.
The fresh mark certificate revealed that Utpal has secured 68% percentile marks. Based on that he was called for an interview and allotted a place in the medical course.
Utpal, ranked 114th in the merit list, joined the first year of MBBS course.
Fake Marks Certificate – How did you get caught?
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Even after getting admission, Utpal continued to have some problems. As the mark sheet he applied for admission to the college was suspicious, the then principal of the college sent him a notice asking for an explanation.
Utpal Patel completed his college studies and started working as a doctor while the investigation was going on.
An inquiry conducted by the college management revealed that the marks certificate given by Utpal for admission to the MBBS course was fake and he had scored only low marks.
Subsequently, a police complaint was filed against Utpal on behalf of the college administration in 1991 for enrolling in medical studies by giving fake documents and a case was registered under three sections.
On the basis of 9 witnesses and 39 documentary evidences in this case, the court said that the accused got admission in MBBS course by producing fake marks certificate.
As the accused doctor turns 61, i.e. 43 years after the incident, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar M. Naveen sentenced Utpal in this case.
How can it be proven fake after 43 years?
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“Another deserving student has been deprived of an opportunity by the actions of the accused in this case. “If serious punishment is not given in this case, it will encourage anti-education activities,” strong arguments were presented by the government.
“When the accused is not qualified, his act has taken the place of another qualified person. This is an anti-social act. It is the duty of the court to ensure that such cases do not recur,” the court said in its judgment.
Speaking to the BBC about the details of this case, Public Prosecutor Prajapati said, “Utpal Patel has scored only 48 percent marks in the 12th science examination. After that, he faked another mark certificate to join the medical college. The verdict is based on the witnesses and 39 documents submitted in the case.”
Talking about the other arguments presented in the court, he said, “We argued that the position of a doctor is valuable in the society. So exemplary action should be taken in this case and maximum punishment should be given. The accused cannot be released because he is old.”
The court sentenced Utpal Patel to a fine of ten thousand each and three years imprisonment under three sections for the crime of admission to medical course by giving a fake certificate.