In a key interim order, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday barred the ruling DMK party from collecting Aadhaar numbers and OTPs as part of its ongoing membership drive.

The Court, however, allowed the party to continue with the membership campaign itself, pending further hearings.

The direction came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an AIADMK-affiliated advocate, who alleged that the DMK was violating privacy norms and provisions of the Aadhaar Act ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

According to the petitioner, the DMK was collecting sensitive personal information — including Aadhaar numbers, ration card details, voter IDs, bank passbook copies, and mobile numbers — and using OTP verification to create a political database. He further alleged that women were being coerced or misled with threats that their eligibility for government welfare schemes, such as the state’s monthly stipend for women, would be affected if they didn’t comply.

The plea argued that collecting Aadhaar data for non-statutory and political purposes is in violation of the Aadhaar Act, which restricts such data use to authorised government services. Since DMK is not an authorised agency under the Act, the petitioner urged the Court to declare the data collection drive unconstitutional and a breach of the fundamental right to privacy.

The petitioner also sought directions for:

• Destruction of any Aadhaar-linked data already collected by the party

• An investigation by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

Responding to the allegations, DMK spokesperson Dr. Syed Hafeezullah said, “The membership process is voluntary. We are not collecting Aadhaar data. OTPs are used only to verify mobile numbers, not for any Aadhaar authentication.”

The Court has issued notices to the Election Commission and UIDAI, and further hearings in the case will continue. The DMK’s legal team is expected to formally respond to the interim order later in the day.

As the 2026 Assembly polls draw nearer, DMK aims to enroll at least 30% of Tamil Nadu's electorate in its membership campaign. With the AIADMK-BJP alliance regrouping and actor Vijay’s political outfit TVK entering the fray, the elections are shaping up to be a closely contested four-way battle.