Gazetted Officer Certification: Are They Obligated to Help Strangers with PAN Card ID?

If I don't know any Gazetted Officer personally and if I approach one for getting my photo ID certified for obtaining a PAN card, is he duty-bound to certify it, or does he have no such obligation towards people who approach him for certification?

Yes, you can get your documents certified by a Gazetted Officer by visiting personally along with your original address proof and other documents such as a Voter ID Card, Ration Card, Electricity Bill, Passport Copy, and Driving License.

Could you please share which photo ID you need to be certified and the purpose of it?

Not a problem at all. Go to your principal's office and explain the situation. He will certify it, or go to any recognized school and show your SSC/Degree certificate or driving license. It's not a life-and-death question. The requirement is to ensure that you are not a fictitious person and are known to exist in India in reality. The stipulations are only to ensure that certain things are not misused. We are reading in newspapers and watching on TV that important celebrities/rich people are issued white ration cards meant for Below Poverty Line families. Also, arrest warrants are issued in remote places against people who rarely move out of Delhi/State Capitals on fictitious complaints.

In Andhra Pradesh, a ration card was issued by showing a member of the ex-PM of India as a resident in a remote place, and the address is a thatched hut. So don't worry! Comply with the rule and get benefits.

Not a problem at all. Go to your principal's office and explain the situation. He will certify it, or go to any recognized school and show your SSC/Degree certificate or driving license. It's not a life-and-death question. The requirement is to ensure that you are not a fictitious person and are known to exist in India in reality. The stipulations are only to ensure that certain things are not misused. We are reading in newspapers and watching on TV that important celebrities and rich people are issued white ration cards meant for Below Poverty Line families. Arrest warrants are also issued in remote places against people who rarely move out of Delhi or state capitals on fictitious complaints.

In Andhra Pradesh, a ration card was issued by showing a member of an ex-PM's family as a resident in a remote place, and the address given is a hut. Not only that, marriage certificates are also issued like that by naming celebrities as the wife and/or husband of some mischievous people. This is because some Gazetted Officers sign whatever papers are put before them without any thought. Some of them are 500% careful and don't sign such papers even if persuaded to any extent.

So don't worry! Comply with the rule and get benefits.

Certifying or attesting documents for the public or citizens is one of the responsibilities of a Gazetted officer. However, it depends on their work priority. You do not need to pay anything to get an attestation.

In my experience, I took the original documents and their photocopies to the nearest post office and requested attestation from the postmaster. He simply asked for the original documents, verified them with the photocopies, and attested them immediately.

No one is duty-bound to attest your certificate. Usually, people don't want to fall into trouble, so they avoid attesting an unknown person's certificate. This is because if the certificate is false and the person attests it, they may lose their job or even be sent to jail. As others have already mentioned, the best course of action is to approach your college principal.

Types of People Who Can Attest Your Certificate

Attestation of copies of original documents for academic purposes or migration can be done by Class I and Class II public servants/officers, as well as bank managers of a nationalized bank.

For example, Associate Professors/Principals of Government Degree Colleges, Patent Examiners (Official Designation - Examiner of Patents and Designs), Additional District Civil Surgeons, Assistant Executive Engineers (selected through UPSC), Executive Engineers and above, District Medical Officers and above, Geologists of the Geological Survey of India, etc., are Gazetted officers with the authority to verify and attest documents.

Character certificates can only be attested by police records verification and Class I gazetted officers.

On the other hand, Citizenship certification is limited to very few officials, e.g., Sub-Divisional Magistrates.

Regards,
Anita

There are numerous authorities at the central, state, and local self-government levels, as well as in schools/colleges, and among magistrates. If approached with proper documentation, there is no need to pay any money for attestation. However, having connections can expedite such processes.

Regards,
Prakash Patwardhan

As many have said, Gazetted Officers (G.Os) are not obligated to attest Photo IDs. It depends on their convenience; no one can compel them. There is no law requiring them to do this. Generally, attestation is insisted upon to verify and accept that the copies are genuine, as G.Os are supposed to be responsible officers authorized by the state and central governments, enlisted in the Gazette Notifications of the respective governments. Normally, G.Os don’t refuse to attest, provided they are free to do so. Most Headmasters, Lecturers, Assistant Professors, Professors, and Principals of government schools and colleges are G.Os. However, in the case of Post Masters, not all Sub Post Masters and Post Masters are G.Os. Only a few Post Masters are G.Os, but they normally don’t refuse to attest. Similarly, government doctors generally are not free all the time but cannot rule out expecting something in return if they attest. The best approach could be to catch hold of peons and ward boys; they’ll get it done, regardless of whether they know you or not.

Regards,
Kumar S.

As rightly mentioned by so many members in India, such things have really become farcical! One example is when we get an affidavit from the Notary. Leave alone the notary knowing you personally, even he does not see you in person but signs the affidavit!

A gazetted officer is one whose name is notified in the Gazette. Once he retires, his name is removed from the Gazette, and therefore, he ceases to be a Gazetted Officer. The gazetted officer is expected to verify and certify the document as a true copy. He does not have a duty to perform to sign the certified true copy. Therefore, be polite and ask him to sign the document as a true copy. No one should ordinarily refuse to sign.

Best Regards,
CDR S Panda, IN (Retd)

Kindly help me to verify my documents as I do not know any gazetted officer. How can I contact a gazetted officer? I have been living in Lucknow for 5 years, and both my address and ID proof are also from Lucknow.