Discovering a Fake Date of Birth After 15 Years: What Should Management Do?

Dear team, If an employee joined with a false date of birth and after more than 15 years, we found out, what action can management take? Please share your questionnaire to understand.

Thanks,
Krishnamoorthy

Hi, It is customary in all organizations to collect ID/Address proof where the date of birth (DOB) will also be mentioned.

So, at the time of joining, you should have collected PAN/Aadhar/10th Mark sheet copy where the DOB details must be present. Have you verified the DOB at the time of joining? Alternatively, if you, as the employee, joined with a false DOB, have you submitted the above proof at the time of joining?

By the way, what do you mean by a false date of birth? Does the actual DOB differ from Aadhar/PAN proof?

Dear member,

Falsification of documents at the time of recruitment is misconduct under the provisions of the Standing Orders Act. Therefore, you may order a domestic enquiry. If the culpability of the accused is established, then you may initiate disciplinary action.

The focus of the enquiry should not be on the defaulter per se but on what happened. Identify who was involved in the recruitment and take disciplinary action against them as well.

Falsification of documents is a matter of integrity and cannot be condoned. Taking disciplinary action will send a message to everyone that the top leadership wishes to promote a culture of integrity.

However, the employee in question has worked for 15 years. It is a long tenure. Therefore, considering his contributions to the growth of the company, leniency may be shown, and the person may be asked to resign. However, do not bypass the domestic enquiry. It has its merits and is independent of the resignation letter submitted by the company.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Falsification of DOB or Document Discrepancy?

Is it a case of falsification of the date of birth (DOB) or just a discrepancy among various documents such as the Matriculation Certificate, Aadhar, Voter's ID, Passport, etc.? If it's the latter, it is quite common among those in earlier generations. Such mismatches are primarily due to parents who, in their enthusiasm, got the child admitted to school. In those times, birth certificates were not mandatory, and the parent or teacher would enter a suitable DOB.

In view of this reality, no harsh action needs to be taken if the employee has not derived any undue advantage from the incorrect or wrong DOB. Let us not allege falsity unless we are sure of the facts.

After all, mischief is quite distinct from a mistake; it is the former alone that requires punishment, whereas mistakes are bound to be condoned and, at most, corrected.