The Bombay High Court has issued a set of detailed directions to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), stressing that citizens should not suffer because of biometric mismatches or technical errors in Aadhaar records.

The division Bench of Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Hiten S Venegavkar criticised UIDAI over the hardships and unnecessary litigation caused by technical irregularities in Aadhaar-related processes.

The Court observed that although maintaining the integrity of the Aadhaar database is a matter of national importance, its implementation must remain citizen-friendly, facilitative and in line with constitutional principles.

“A genuine resident cannot be left remediless merely because a technological or biometric anomaly has occurred in the system,” the Bench observed.

The Court also expressed concern over the growing number of cases in which citizens are forced to approach constitutional courts to resolve technical Aadhaar issues. It noted that many genuine residents are made to repeatedly visit different offices without receiving proper guidance or an effective solution for correcting their records.

According to the Bench, such situations result in unnecessary hardship, denial of access to essential services and avoidable litigation.

To address these concerns, the Court directed UIDAI to provide written guidance regarding available remedies, establish facilitation mechanisms at regional offices and ensure that citizens are not made to undertake repeated and uninformed visits to government offices.

The Court further directed that applications should be decided within four weeks. If applications are complete and there is no legal impediment, UIDAI must issue fresh Aadhaar cards or numbers.

The Bench also laid down broader directions for future cases, including mandatory written communication about the exact status of Aadhaar records and adoption of a humane and citizen-centric approach while dealing with genuine applicants.

The order came in a petition filed by 19-year-old twin brothers Rohit and Rahul Nikalje, who were issued Aadhaar cards as minors in 2012. When they attempted to update their biometrics in 2022, they faced contradictory administrative responses from authorities.

The brothers were initially asked to update their Aadhaar details, later advised to seek cancellation, then informed that the cancellation process had been withdrawn, and eventually told that their Aadhaar numbers had been suspended.

The confusion had serious consequences for the twins, who required Aadhaar documents for provisional admissions and insurance coverage for sporting activities such as horse riding.

The Court held that if there were inaccuracies in the biometrics collected during childhood, the responsibility could not be placed on the petitioners.

It directed the brothers to file fresh enrolment applications within 15 days and ordered UIDAI to process them in accordance with law within four weeks.

Advocates Harshada Shirsath, Ramaprasad Deore and Swaraj Sabale appeared for the petitioners.

Advocates Shehnaz V Bharucha and Gargi Warunjikar represented UIDAI, while Additional Government Pleaders PP Kakade and PN Diwan appeared for the State.