LI Network
Published on: 27 September 2023 at 12:22 IST
Expressing apprehension about potential misuse of Aadhaar cards by illegal migrants, the Supreme Court has instructed the Deputy Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in Gauhati and the home secretary of Manipur to conduct thorough verification before issuing new Aadhaar cards to displaced individuals residing in camps in Manipur.
Advocate Vibha Makhija, representing the court-appointed committee, conveyed to the three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the need to issue Aadhaar cards to those who have lost them, seeking court directives for the same.
In response, the bench emphasized the importance of verification before Aadhaar issuance to prevent misuse by unauthorized immigrants. They expressed their inability to issue blanket orders for this purpose.
Consequently, the bench directed, “The Deputy DG, UIDAI, regional office Gauhati, and state home secretary shall take all steps to ensure that Aadhaar cards are provided to all displaced persons who may have lost their Aadhaar cards in the process of displacement. We clarify that UIDAI, which would have bio-metric data of enrolled persons, would match the claims of any displaced persons, and then issue the Aadhaar cards.”
Advocate Makhija also raised concerns about displaced individuals encountering difficulties in accessing their bank accounts due to the destruction of relevant documents during communal violence.
The court issued two additional directives to the finance and health secretaries of Manipur.
The Finance department was tasked with instructing all banks in the state to provide displaced individuals with details of their bank accounts. Simultaneously, the Manipur health secretary was instructed to facilitate the issuance of disability certificates to differently-abled individuals in relief camps.
Furthermore, the bench called upon the Union Home Ministry to designate a nodal officer in Delhi responsible for receiving and redirecting complaints and grievances to the appropriate authority in Manipur.