The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court declared that the right to correct errors in Aadhaar data is both a statutory and fundamental right, directing the UIDAI to create proper infrastructure to make Aadhaar correction facilities easily accessible.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ruled that the right to correct errors in Aadhaar data is both a statutory and fundamental right.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is required to ensure that citizens can exercise this right without undue hardship.
Justice GR Swaminathan stated that the right to receive benefits through Aadhaar is intrinsically linked to the fundamental right to amend its details.
The judge noted,
“When the right to receive benefits is a fundamental right and Aadhaar card is a mandatory vehicle through which the benefit can be received, the card holder has the concomitant fundamental right to seek alteration,”
The Court emphasized that UIDAI must develop the necessary infrastructure to make Aadhaar correction services easily accessible. This ruling came in response to a writ petition filed by P Pushpam, a 74-year-old widow from Paramakudi, whose family pension was delayed due to incorrect details on her Aadhaar card, including her name being recorded as “Pushbam” and an incorrect date of birth.
Pushpam, whose late husband was an ex-serviceman who served in the Indian Army for 21 years, faced issues when she applied for the transfer of her pension.
The Defence Accounts Department refused to process her request because her Aadhaar details did not match the pension records. Despite multiple attempts to correct the errors through e-Sevai and postal centres, she was unsuccessful, leading her to seek intervention from the High Court.
Citing Section 31 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, the Court stated that although the language used includes “may,” the UIDAI’s duty becomes mandatory once it confirms the accuracy of the information provided.
Justice Swaminathan asserted that correcting errors is a fundamental aspect of the statutory framework, and that the Authority must ensure all Aadhaar cards contain accurate demographic information.
Highlighting the necessity of Aadhaar as an essential identity document, without which citizens risk losing access to benefits and services due to inaccuracies, he indicated,
“The whole purpose of Section 31 is to ensure that one’s Aadhaar card contains the correct details,”
The Court also pointed out that only one Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) serves all the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, creating challenges for citizens.
Noting that elderly and vulnerable individuals often endure long waits at the Madurai ASK, the judge called for decentralized Aadhaar update services and local correction facilities.
Quoting a 2025 article from The Wire titled “Queues, Rejections, Ambiguity: The Daily Trials of Wanting a Working Aadhaar,” the Court supported the suggestion to empower local centres to handle basic updates.
The Court remarked,
“Physical accessibility is the issue flagged in this petition. The facility to alter demographic information must be available at the local level,”
While acknowledging UIDAI’s plan to establish 28 new Aadhaar Seva Kendras in Tamil Nadu by March 2026, the Court ruled that Pushpam should not have to wait that long.
It ordered the Madurai ASK to promptly correct her Aadhaar details upon presentation of the order and directed the Defence Accounts Department to expedite her pension transfer thereafter.
Pushpam was represented by Advocate N Kamesh, while UIDAI was represented by Advocate Gnanamuthu.
Case Title: Pushpam v. UIDAI
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