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The Madras High Court has ruled that updating Aadhaar data is a citizen’s fundamental right. The court directed UIDAI to ensure local-level facilities so that people, especially senior citizens, don’t face difficulties in correcting Aadhaar details.
Aadhaar Update is a Fundamental Right of Citizens: Madras High Court
The court directed the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) to ensure that facilities are available at the local level across the country so that people can easily correct or update their Aadhaar data.
The bench of Justice G.R. Swaminathan said that when the government makes the Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to access various schemes and benefits, then updating or correcting it also becomes a statutory right of the citizens.
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The bench further stated that if a person has to travel long distances or struggle with crowds at centers to correct or update errors in their Aadhaar, it is a violation of their civil rights.
This case was related to P. Pushpam, a 74-year-old widow from Tamil Nadu. She filed a petition in court stating that her pension was withheld due to an error in her name and date of birth on her Aadhaar card.
Madras High Court
Pushpam's husband served in the Indian Army for 21 years. After his death in May 2025, when Pushpam applied for a family pension, the Defence Accounts Department withheld the application, stating that the name on the Aadhaar card was written as "Pushbam," while the correct name is "Pushpam."
The woman stated that she had applied several times to update her Aadhaar, but due to the distance of the centers and technical difficulties, she was unsuccessful.
The High Court clearly stated that it is the responsibility of the UIDAI to provide Aadhaar update facilities at the local level. Citizens should not be forced to travel long distances or struggle with technical obstacles.
The court said that just as the benefits received through Aadhaar are a right of the citizens, correcting it is equally important.
This verdict brings relief to millions of citizens who were unable to avail benefits from pensions, banking services, or government schemes due to minor errors in their Aadhaar cards. The court's decision will encourage UIDAI to make its system more accessible, transparent, and citizen-friendly.
