The Bombay High Court has pulled up the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) over the hardships caused to citizens due to biometric mismatches, technical irregularities or administrative errors in Aadhaar records.
The Division Bench of Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Hiten S Venegavkar observed that while protection of the integrity and security of the Aadhaar database remained a matter of national importance, the implementation of the Aadhaar framework must remain citizen-centric, facilitative and consistent with constitutional principles.
Expressing serious concern over the increasing number of cases in which individuals were forced to approach constitutional courts merely to resolve technical defects relating to Aadhaar enrolment and biometric authentication, the Court said genuine residents could not be denied remedies solely because of technological anomalies or biometric discrepancies within the system. It also criticised the UIDAI for the administrative difficulties faced by citizens, who were repeatedly directed from one office to another without any clear procedural guidance for rectification of Aadhaar-related defects.
Noting that such bureaucratic uncertainty resulted in denial of access to essential services, unnecessary hardship and avoidable litigation before constitutional courts, the High Court directed UIDAI to establish an effective facilitation mechanism and ensure that affected individuals received written communication clearly specifying the status of their Aadhaar records, the nature of the defect and the procedural steps required for rectification.
The Bench further directed that applications seeking correction, fresh enrolment or resolution of biometric issues must be processed within four weeks. It clarified that in cases where applications were complete and there was no legal impediment, the UIDAI must issue fresh Aadhaar numbers or updated Aadhaar cards in accordance with law.
The High Court passed the directives on a petition filed by 19-year-old twin brothers, Rohit and Rahul Nikalje, who had originally been issued Aadhaar cards during their childhood in 2012. According to the petition, when they approached authorities in 2022 for mandatory biometric updates, they were subjected to conflicting administrative instructions and repeated procedural hurdles.
The petitioners informed the Court that they were initially advised to update their Aadhaar details, thereafter directed to seek cancellation of their Aadhaar records and later informed that the cancellation process itself had been withdrawn. Subsequently, they were allegedly told that their Aadhaar numbers had been suspended.
The High Court noted that the prolonged administrative uncertainty had serious consequences for the petitioners, particularly because Aadhaar authentication was required for provisional educational admissions and insurance documentation relating to sports activities, including horse riding.
The Bench observed that if any defect existed in the biometric records collected during their childhood, responsibility for such discrepancies could not be attributed to the petitioners themselves. The Court directed the twin brothers to submit fresh Aadhaar enrolment applications within 15 days and instructed UIDAI to process the applications strictly in accordance with statutory procedure within four weeks.
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