The High Court of Karnataka has recently ruled that the Department of Stamps and Registration must register itself as a service provider of Aadhaar digital authentication services. This decision comes as a measure to prevent impersonation and the use of forged Aadhaar cards during document registration. The court has also directed the Inspector General of Registration to create a project report for initiating Aadhaar authenticity through digital mode within four weeks.

The order was passed by Justice Suraj Govindaraj while disposing of a petition filed by Ramesh of Bagalkot. The petitioner claimed that someone had created an encumbrance on his land by registering documents with a forged Aadhaar card.

The court referenced the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, which allows any service provider to register with UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) to verify identities using an OTP generated on the phone number associated with the Aadhaar card.

The court emphasized that the Inspector General of Registration must take the necessary steps to register for Aadhaar services and verify the authenticity of Aadhaar cards and the identity of individuals. Only then, when Aadhaar is produced as proof of identity for registration, should the registration of a document proceed.

This ruling aims to strengthen the process of identity verification during document registration and prevent fraudulent activities using forged Aadhaar cards. By making the Department of Stamps and Registration a service provider of Aadhaar digital authentication, the court hopes to ensure the integrity of document registration and avoid cases of impersonation and forgery.