Introduction:

The Karnataka High Court, in a significant ruling, has directed the Inspector General of Registration to verify the authenticity of Aadhar cards and the identity of individuals during document registration. Justice Suraj Govindaraj highlighted the need for scrutiny under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, ensuring informed consent. The directive came during a case where an individual faced an encumbrance issue due to alleged impersonation.

Arguments:

The petitioner, Ramesh Timmanna Umarani, contested the refusal to delete an encumbrance entry on his land, claiming an impersonator executed a fraudulent sale agreement. The sub-registrar argued that, upon accepting the Aadhar card as identity proof during registration, the authority relied on its authenticity. The court examined the need for a thorough Aadhar verification process and addressed the challenge of deleting entries in the encumbrance certificate.

Court’s Judgement:

Justice Govindaraj mandated the Inspector General of Registration to register under UIDAI, ensuring Aadhar card authenticity before document registration. The court acknowledged the challenge of forgery in the presented Aadhar card but emphasized the limitations of the existing Registration Rules. It clarified that entry deletion in the encumbrance certificate hinges on canceling or setting aside the registered document.