Aadhaar Biometrics Cannot Be Used To Identify Unidentified Dead Bodies: UIDAI To Delhi High Court

In reply to a petition filed by social activist Amit Sahni, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told the Delhi High Court on Monday that it is technically not possible to match fingerprints of an unidentified dead body with the biometrics of 120 crore people stored in its database, reported NDTV.

Amit Sahni, the petitioner, filed a petition in Delhi High Court requesting to issue a direction to UIDAI, the centre, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and all the states to use Aadhaar biometrics to identify unidentified bodies. In its submission to the bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao, the petitioner said that matching of fingerprints and iris is done on 1:1 basis and Aadhaar number is required for it.

The court has asked UIDAI to file its response explaining why the matching of fingerprints with the Aadhaar database cannot be done and the next hearing is on February 5. It has also sought response of the NCRB on the plea.

What has the petitioner sought

Considering that the Aadhaar biometrics have been used in the past to find missing persons, the petitioner said it could be used to identify the dead as well.

In case the biometrics of the “dead body pre-exist on Aadhaar portal then directions be issued to share” them with the respondents immediately for handing over the body to the family or relatives “so that respectable and dignified exit could be ensured by performing last rites by affected persons (family)”, the plea said.

The plea said that thousands of dead bodies are being recovered in the country every year and Aadhaar is not being utilised properly to identify dead bodies. The usage of Aadhaar biometrics can help reduce the burden on the state to dispose of dead bodies and that it would also find the family of the deceased in a short span of time.

UIDAI counsel said that in a similar plea filed on October 12 in Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court, the judge dismissed the plea after UIDAI response that the fingerprints of the dead body can’t be matched with the Aadhaar database.

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