UIDAI searches for more ways to curb Aadhaar, UID fraud
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The Unique Identity Authority of India ( UIDAI ) is set to implement stringent measures to combat rising instances of fraud through Aadhaar and fake UID numbers, CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told ET.Detailing the measures, Kumar said UIDAI, the central agency tasked with issuing Aadhaar, plans to impose curbs on frequent changes to birth dates and biometrics, verifying information directly with other official databases, and tapping frontier technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to weed out use of wrong photographs, and incorrect and mixed biometrics.The agency is also making the Aadhar application form completely online and insist that all states switch to documents that are verifiable online, among other measures."If you want to play in a cricket team, they try to reduce their age by two years. If they want to get a job, they want to increase their age by two years. It's a lot of fraud," said Kumar, who assumed charge this January. "People try to game it through multiple birth certificates. We are strongly tightening all those things. Because the integrity of Aadhaar has to be maintained."He said that if someone has to alter the date of birth, it has to be first changed in the original birth certificate, and that the authority will not accept a second birth certificate. "We'll match it from the source," said Kumar, adding UIDAI has managed to get direct access to the original databases of 35 states so far in the last six months and has integrated various documents at the source level such as PAN, CBSE marksheets and MGNREGA records, and is in the process of integrating with others."The idea is that when a resident submits any of the documents for Aadhaar enrolment or updating, the UIDAI will verify the veracity of the document directly from the source to ensure it's not fake," said Kumar. "We are using a lot of technology to make the system more foolproof and increasing the facility," he said, adding the identity platform's technical infrastructure is being continuously upgraded.For instance, UIDAI has developed an artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) algorithm to check the genuineness of fingerprints to prevent biometric fraud and ensure that they are of a "live finger". Similarly, AI-based software in cameras is used for age estimation and to confirm that some older person is not applying for a Aadhaar meant for a child which doesn't require biometrics. AI is also used to match a person's photo with photos in the Bureau of Immigration database to check fraud. The UIDAI is also checking the possibility of placing restrictions on the number of times an individual can update fingerprints. Updating fingerprints may make sense for elderly people whose fingerprints may change, but not for young people, and there is no reason why they should be updated again and again, said Kumar.He said there have also been instances where people have mixed their hand and feet biometrics with the aim of committing fraud. Some have even mixed their biometrics with another person to generate a unique combination. The AI/ML will be able to check for such abnormalities, Kumar emphasised. The agency also aims to make applying for Aadhaar an online process.While there is also demand for Aadhaar cards from non-citizens residing in India, the UIDAI is strict about ensuring they apply after the required window of staying in India for 180 days, and that they apply in the correct category. "We have rejected 1,456 applications in the last six months on this basis - that you are a foreigner (but) you have applied in the Indian category," said Kumar.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
EC's refusal to accept Aadhaar as voter ID in Bihar is 'absurd': ADR
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission's (EC) claim of having constitutional powers to verify voters' citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls contradicts earlier court rulings. According to a report by The Indian Express, ADR also criticised the EC for excluding Aadhaar and ration cards as acceptable proof of identity, calling the move 'patently absurd,' especially as Aadhaar is widely used for passports, caste certificates, and permanent residency documents. 'Grave fraud' in rush to revise rolls The ADR, the petitioner in the matter, argued that the EC has not provided valid reasons for hurrying through the revision ahead of Bihar's Assembly polls. The group described the process as a 'grave fraud' on the state's electorate. The revision exercise, announced on June 24, has been controversial due to its timing and new requirement that voters registered after 2003 must provide several documents to stay on the electoral rolls. This has raised fears that many legitimate voters could be disenfranchised. ADR has submitted its response to the EC's affidavit, filed on July 21. In that affidavit, the EC claimed that Article 326 of the Constitution permits it to verify the citizenship of voters and clarified that being removed from the electoral roll does not mean loss of citizenship. The matter will be heard next on 28 July. Citizenship verification against court judgments? ADR argued that the EC's claim of authority to verify citizenship goes against earlier Supreme Court decisions. It cited Lal Babu Hussain vs Union of India (1995), which stated that the burden of proving citizenship lies with new applicants, not existing voters. It also referenced Inderjit Barua vs ECI (1985), where the court held that being on the electoral roll is strong proof of citizenship, and the onus to disprove it lies with those who object. ADR criticised the EC's directive requiring voters added after 2003 to produce one of 11 specified documents, saying this wrongly shifts the burden of proof to voters. 'It is submitted that the SIR process shifts the onus of citizenship proof on all existing electors in a state, whose names were registered by the ECI through a due process,' ADR said. The group questioned why the existing legal procedures under the Representation of the People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 had to be replaced with a fresh set of documentation and a new form. ADR also said the EC had not provided any data showing foreign nationals or illegal migrants had been included in the electoral rolls. EC's Aadhaar rejection 'absurd' In its July 21 affidavit, the EC refused to accept the Supreme Court's suggestion to include Aadhaar, ration cards, and Voter ID as valid documents, arguing that Aadhaar and ration cards can be obtained using false papers. ADR countered that the EC's list of 11 acceptable documents is also open to fraud. It added, 'The fact that Aadhaar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining Permanent Residence Certificate, OBC/SC/ST Certificate and for passport – makes ECI's rejection of Aadhar (which is most widely held document) under the instant SIR order patently absurd.' 'Violations' by officials ADR alleged that EC officials on the ground are not following the Commission's own rules. The June 24 guidelines required Block Level Officers (BLOs) to visit each home and provide two forms per voter. But ADR said many voters had not met any BLOs and had not signed any forms, yet their submissions were recorded online. 'Forms of even dead individuals have been reported to have been submitted,' it added. ADR also criticised the lack of a clear process for verifying these forms and documents, saying this gave Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) excessive powers that could lead to widespread disenfranchisement. Why target post-2003 voters? The EC's order says that the 2003 electoral roll is proof of citizenship for voters already registered. For those born after July 1, 1987, the EC asks for proof of citizenship from at least one parent. If the parent appears on the 2003 roll, the child may rely on that. ADR said this distinction was unfair and placed those registered after 2003 at 'a larger risk of disenfranchisement.' It also questioned why the EC had not submitted the 2003 revision order to the Court and asked for it to be produced. In contrast, during the 2004 revision exercise in the North East, only new voters had to submit documents, and that process took over six months (July 1, 2004 to January 3, 2005). In Bihar, the entire process is being compressed into three months -- from June 25 to September 30. 2025 roll already revised ADR also asked why a fresh revision is needed when the 2025 electoral roll was already updated and published in January this year. The group said the roll is regularly updated to account for deaths, migration, and other changes. ADR also highlighted an August 11, 2023 EC circular to state CEOs, directing them to delete names of electors who had died, moved, or were duplicates. The EC claimed the current SIR was being held in response to concerns raised by political parties. But ADR said, 'not a single political party had asked ECI for a de novo exercise such as the one prescribed in the instant SIR order'. Instead, parties had raised concerns about fake votes being added, genuine opposition voters being deleted, and irregular voting after polls had closed. Supreme Court's interim observations The case was first heard on July 10 by a vacation bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi. While the Court did not halt the process, it suggested the EC consider allowing Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents, in addition to the 11 listed. The EC was told to submit its affidavit by July 21, and the matter will be heard again on July 28. As of Friday, the EC said it had received forms from 72.3 million voters for inclusion in the draft roll. Around 6.5 million names are to be deleted due to death, permanent migration, duplicate entries, or because the voter was untraceable. Further deletions may occur after the draft roll is published. Between August 1 and September 1, those whose names are missing from the draft will be able to file claims and objections.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
EC's citizenship verification in Bihar defies SC verdicts, a fraud on voters: ADR tells Court
New Delhi: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission's (EC) citizenship verification exercise in Bihar constitutes a 'grave fraud' on voters and violates the apex court's past rulings. In its rejoinder affidavit, ADR responded to the EC's counter filed on July 21, in which the poll body defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The EC had claimed the exercise aimed to restore public confidence in the electoral process. A batch of petitions challenging the Bihar SIR is scheduled to be heard by the top court on Monday, July 28, ahead of the State Assembly elections in November. ADR, in its response, questioned the EC's refusal to accept Aadhaar, Voter ID (EPIC), and ration cards as standalone proof of identity for inclusion in the electoral roll. It termed the stance 'patently absurd.' On July 10, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, declined to stay the revision process but directed the Commission to consider Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration card documents for verification. The Court noted that these documents serve as foundational proof for obtaining any of the 11 documents listed by the EC for voter verification. The EC, however, contended that Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration cards were susceptible to forgery. Disputing this claim, ADR argued that the remaining 11 documents permitted by the EC were equally vulnerable to fraudulent procurement, thereby rendering the EC's rationale arbitrary and inconsistent. "The situation raises serious concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and the potential for electoral fraud. Voters have expressed confusion and concern over the uploading of their details without their knowledge or involvement,' ADR said in its rejoinder, a copy of which was accessed by The New Indian Express. ADR also alleged that the ground realities in Bihar contradicted the EC's claims about the integrity of the process. "The reports from various towns and villages indicate that the SIR process is being carried out in a manner that is arbitrary, illegal, and in violation of the Commission's own guidelines dated June 24," it said.
Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
‘Blatantly absurd': ADR on EC not including Aadhaar as proof for Bihar voter roll revision
The Association for Democratic Reforms on Saturday described the Election Commission's decision not to Aadhaar card a standalone valid documen t for the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar as 'blatantly absurd', reported The Hindu. The non-profit organisation is one of the petitioners against the exercise. The statement was part of a rejoined filed in the Supreme Court in response to the poll panel's affidavit in the matter. On Monday, the Election Commission said that the Aadhaar does not 'constitute proof of Indian citizenship' and could be easily forged. The affidavit had come in response to the Supreme Court's July 10 order that asked the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and ration cards as valid proof for the electoral roll revision exercise 'in the interest of justice'. On Saturday, the Association for Democratic Reforms told the Supreme Court that any of the 11 documents that the poll panel has stated could be used to prove eligibility 'are equally susceptible to being procured on the basis of fake or false documentation', reported The Hindu. 'The fact that Aadhar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining Permanent Residence Certificate, other backward castes, scheduled castes or scheduled tribes certificate and for passport – makes ECI's rejection of Aadhar (which is most widely held document) under the instant SIR [special intensive revision] order patently absurd,' the organisation was quoted as stating by Bar and Bench. The non-profit also claimed that no procedure has been defined for the verification of the supporting documents submitted by the voters. This gives the electoral registration officers 'broad and unchecked discretion' that could result in disenfranchisement of the voters in Bihar, the organisation further claimed. It told the court that each electoral registration officer has been tasked with handling the enumeration forms of more than three lakh persons. This makes it 'humanly impossible for them' to conduct the process reasonably, the organisation told the Supreme court. It alleged that the manner in which the exercise was being carried out was a ' grave fraud ' on the state's voters, reported The Indian Express. 'Many voters have reported that their forms have been submitted online, despite never having met with any BLOs [block level officers] or signed any documents,' the Association for Democratic Reforms was quoted as saying by Live Law. 'Forms of even dead individuals have been reported to have been submitted.' According to the Election Commission's guidelines, the block level officers are required to visit each home and give a voter two enumeration forms. The organisation added: 'The above points to the flawed manner in which the current SIR of electoral rolls is being conducted, where the integrity of the electoral rolls is compromised, potentially affecting millions of voters and undermining the democratic process.' The revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar was announced by the Election Commission on June 24. As part of the exercise, persons whose names were not on the 2003 voter list will need to submit proof of eligibility to vote. This means that 2.9 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore voters – or about 37% of the electors – will have to submit documentary evidence. Voters born before July 1, 1987, must show proof of their date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of one of their parents. Those born after December 2, 2004, will need proof of date of birth for themselves and both parents. If the officers are satisfied with the details provided, the voters will be re-enrolled to a new voter list by electoral registration officers. If not, they will be removed from the voter lists. A draft roll will be published on August 1 and the final roll will be out on September 30. On July 2, eleven INDIA bloc parties told the Election Commission that the special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls risked disenfranchising more than 2.5 crore voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents. On July 5, the Association for Democratic Reforms filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, saying that the order is arbitrary and can disenfranchise millions of voters. The non-profit organisation sought the quashing of the order and stated that it imposed fresh documentation requirements and shifted the burden of proof from the state to the citizen. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 6 defended the exercise, claiming that the exercise had to be carried out as no one was satisfied with the current voter rolls. The poll panel stated on Monday that there was no violation of law or fundamental rights of any voter in the electoral roll revision process. 'The SIR [special intensive revision' adds to the purity of elections by weeding out inelgible persons from electoral rolls,' said the Election Commission.
