158 CBSE Schools Found Using Fake Fire Safety Certificates; Probe Reveals Systemic Lapses in Bihar

158 CBSE-affiliated schools in Bihar uploaded fake, expired, or unauthorised fire safety certificates on their official websites, bypassing mandatory safety audits and statutory verification norms. The probe exposes a troubling nexus involving school managements, forged documents, and weak enforcement mechanisms, putting thousands of children at risk.

How the Investigation Unfolded

The investigation began with a review of CBSE schools’ Mandatory Public Disclosure (MPD) sections under CBSE affiliation rules. The reporter noticed glaring inconsistencies in fire safety certificates uploaded by different schools, even though many were allegedly issued in the same year.

The anomalies were hard to miss:

• Different formats and layouts
• Missing or inconsistent seals
• Questionable signatures
• Newly typed documents lacking official authentication
  

Several certificates bore no resemblance to standard government-issued fire safety clearances. As the pattern repeated across multiple school websites, the documents were submitted to the State Fire Services Department for verification.

Fire Services Confirm Forgery and Expiry

Senior officials at the Fire Services headquarters confirmed that many certificates were never issued by the department, while others were expired or signed by unauthorised officials, in clear violation of CBSE norms. In total:

• 158 schools uploaded certificates declared fake or unverifiable
• Several others uploaded certificates that had already expired
  

“This is not a procedural lapse. It is a direct threat to children’s lives,” said M. Sunil Kumar Naik, IG, Home Guards & Fire Services. He disclosed that the department flagged these violations during an internal review in January 2025, giving schools two months to comply.

• 72% of schools responded
• 45 schools have not replied even by December 25
  

Scale of the Compliance Breakdown

Out of over 1,300 CBSE schools in Bihar:

• 748 have functional websites
• 557 have no website
• 346 have inactive or inaccessible websites

Among schools with websites:

• Only 298 have an MPD section
• 450 lack mandatory disclosures
• 517 have not uploaded any fire safety certificate
  

Case Studies Highlight Systemic Abuse

Scholars Abode School, Phulwarisharif 
The school uploaded a fire safety certificate issued by a village panchayat, signed by a Deputy Mukhiya in 2022. The document was expired and entirely unauthorised, as panchayats have no legal power to issue fire safety clearances.

St Michael’s High School, Patna 
The certificate uploaded was issued in 2023 and had crossed its validity period. It carried the signature of a Sub-Divisional Fire Station Officer, who, under the Bihar Fire Services Rules, 2021, is not authorised to issue such certificates. Officials confirmed the document was invalid.

Legal Violations and Criminal Liability

Under Bihar rules, fire safety certificates can only be issued by:

• State Fire Officer
• District Fire Safety Officer
  

Uploading forged documents on official websites constitutes a criminal offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act, said Supreme Court advocate Virag Gupta, adding that CBSE has the power to suspend or withdraw school affiliation.

CBSE Accountability Under Question

The investigation raises pressing questions about CBSE’s verification mechanisms. When approached, the CBSE regional office in Patna stated that compliance monitoring lies with CBSE headquarters in Delhi, not the regional office.

Experts point to three key reasons behind the widespread misuse:

1. Avoiding fire audit fees (₹14,000–₹20,000)
2. Hiding poor fire safety infrastructure—missing alarms, extinguishers, evacuation plans
   Reliance on weak enforcement and lack of digital verification
   

The irregularities span over 30 districts, including Patna, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Purnia, East Champaran, and others, suggesting a statewide compliance collapse.

As CBSE schools continue to expand rapidly, the findings underline a grim reality: safety norms exist on paper, but enforcement remains dangerously fragile—with children paying the price.