The Kerala High Court has directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to compare fingerprints collected during a 2016 double murder investigation with fingerprint data stored in its Aadhaar database for Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu. Justice G. Girish held that the specific request could be permitted under Section 33 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, given the exceptional circumstances of the case.
Background
The case arose from the murders of Gopalakrishnan alias Rajan and his wife, Ammukkutty alias Thankamani, at their residence in Kannukurissi, Palakkad, on the night of November 14, 2016. The investigation indicated that the crime was committed to steal three sovereigns of gold and ₹4,000 in cash.
Investigators arrested one person after his fingerprints matched those recovered from the crime scene. However, the identities of the other suspected participants remained unresolved despite comparisons involving more than 1,200 people.
The State subsequently approached UIDAI, seeking a comparison of the unidentified fingerprints with Aadhaar database records. UIDAI declined the request, prompting the State to file the writ petition.
UIDAI opposed the request, citing restrictions on sharing Aadhaar information, privacy concerns and technical difficulties in matching fingerprints collected on paper with database records.
The Court examined Sections 28, 29 and 33 of the Aadhaar Act. It noted that Section 33 provides for disclosure of certain information pursuant to an order of a court not inferior to a High Court judge, while expressly prohibiting disclosure of core biometric information.
Explaining the limited nature of the request, the Court observed,
“On the other hand, the only request of the investigating agency is that the UIDAI may compare the suspects’ fingerprints handed over to them with the fingerprints available in their database and to inform the investigating agency the whereabouts of those persons whose fingerprints were found matching with the above suspects’ fingerprints.”
The Court also considered the Supreme Court’s decision in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, which addressed Aadhaar and the right to privacy. It did not accept UIDAI’s contention that the privacy ruling barred the requested assistance in this investigation.
The Court was informed that the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) had confirmed that fingerprints in JPEG format could be converted into the required binary format using available software and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).
The Court therefore directed UIDAI to compare the fingerprints supplied by the State in binary format with fingerprint records in its database for Coimbatore district and inform the investigating agency of the whereabouts of persons whose fingerprints matched.
Clarifying the narrow scope of its ruling, the Court stated,
“It is made clear that the order in this regard is passed by this Court considering the exceptional facts and circumstances of this case, and that this cannot be cited as a precedent to follow the same course in other cases which may arise in future.”
The writ petition was accordingly allowed with the above directions.
Case Details
- Case Title: State of Kerala v. Unique Identification Authority of India & Ors.
- Case Number: W.P. (Crl.) No. 639 of 2024
- Judge: Justice G. Girish
- Decision Date: 14 October 2026
