The Supreme Court instructed the Unique Identification Authority of India and the Manipur government on Monday to take efforts to guarantee that Aadhaar cards be issued to those who have been displaced as a result of the state’s violent ethnic war and whose data are already accessible with the UIDAI, news agency PTI reported. Observing that it does not want to run the government in Manipur, the Supreme Court stated that essential verifications must be completed before distributing Aadhaar cards in a timely manner. A court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud stated that UIDAI, which would have the biometric information of persons who have already received Aadhaar cards, will match the allegations of those who have been displaced regarding the loss of their cards.
The bench, which also included Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, asked the secretary of Manipur’s finance department to provide necessary orders to all banks in the affected areas of the state to make bank account data available to people who have lost the papers.
It said that the secretary of Manipur’s health department will take all expedient means to provide disability certificates/duplicates of disability certificates to specially-abled people in relief camps.
The directives were made while the bench was reviewing the reports filed by the top court-appointed all-woman committee of former high court judges led by Justice (retd) Gita Mittal. Justices (retd) Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon are also on the panel.
The committee requested specific orders on concerns such as lost personal papers of people relocated in reports filed with the Supreme Court.
“The Deputy Director General, UIDAI, Regional Office, Guwahati, and the secretary, Department of Home Affairs, Manipur, 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, whose records are already available with UIDAI,” the bench was quoted by PTI in its report.
During the hearing on a slew of petitions, including those demanding a court-monitored investigation into acts of violence, as well as measures for relief and rehabilitation, the bench noted that before issuing Aadhaar cards, the authority must verify if the applicants are actual residents or citizens.
“What if somebody is an illegal entrant?” it asked and added “We will say the authorities will verify whether the person is genuine.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the Manipur government, stated that some of these concerns may be resolved if the committee meets with the authorities.
“Let the committee be aware of its remit,” he was quoted by PTI in its report.
According to the bench, the committee did not press for some of the directives indicated in its findings.
Mehta stated that if the government authority does not reply to the committee’s recommendations or directives, the panel may bring it to the attention of the court.
“They have possibly misconstrued their role,” he said, adding, “I would request the committee that a telephonic call to the chief secretary can sort out most of the issues rather than troubling your lordships.”
Since May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in hill areas to oppose the dominant Meitei community’s quest for ST status, more than 170 people have been murdered and hundreds have been injured in the state.