Aadhaar misuse surfaces in Gurugram

Saurabh Malik 
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 24

A racket involving the misuse of Aadhaar cards for furnishing sureties and bail bonds before Gurugram courts has surfaced. The investigation has given clean chit to a man, who has all along been claiming that his Aadhaar card has been morphed or forged before being used to furnish bail bonds and sureties in bail pleas.

The Haryana Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The decision came soon after the High Court rapped the police for inaction in the matter.

The developments before the Bench of Justice Anil Kshetarpal took place during the hearing of a petition filed by Gulab Singh against the State of Haryana and other respondents. He was, among other things, seeking directions to the respondents against summoning him in criminal cases. 

Taking up the matter, Justice Kshetarpal observed that the petitioner’s grievance pertained to his Aadhaar card being morphed/forged and misused. One such case came to the trial court’s notice and the judicial officer recorded that the petitioner was not involved in the racket. Yet the police were not taking action in the matter against those involved.

Referring to his previous order in the matter, Justice Kshetarpal asserted that the Bench had categorically observed that the Haryana Police had refused to take action, even after it came to its notice that Aadhaar card was being misused for the purpose of giving sureties/bail bonds in the court. Justice Kshetarpal added the Gurugram Commissioner of Police was also asked to file his affidavit on action he proposed to take against the guilty and prevent such frauds.

Taking on record an affidavit filed by Gurugram Commissioner of Police Mohammad Akil in pursuance to the directions, Justice Kshetarpal added it had been pointed out that an SIT under Pataudi Assistant Commissioner of Police had been constituted. It was investigating the matter.