Court rules limited fingerprint comparison with Aadhaar data for Coimbatore District does not violate privacy rights; UIDAI must inform police of matching individuals' whereabouts.
In a landmark judgment delivered on October 14, 2026, the Kerala High Court has directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to assist the State of Kerala's police investigation by comparing fingerprints collected from a double murder crime scene with the Aadhaar fingerprint database restricted to Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. This unprecedented order aims to help identify the unknown culprits involved in the brutal murder of a middle-aged couple in Palakkad district.
The case arose from the investigation into the murder of Gopalakrishnan @ Rajan and his wife Ammukkutty @ Thankamani, who were killed in their home at Kannukurissi on November 14, 2016. While the police arrested one suspect, Rajendran, whose fingerprint matched the crime scene sample, the identities and whereabouts of other culprits remained unknown despite attempts to match six fingerprints from the scene against over 1,200 individuals. The police then sought UIDAI's help to match these fingerprints with the national Aadhaar database to locate these suspects.
UIDAI initially rejected the request citing statutory bars under Sections 28 and 29 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, which restrict disclosure of biometric data, and raised technical difficulties in matching static fingerprints with their database. The Kerala High Court, presided by Justice G. Girish, carefully examined these objections and the relevant legal provisions.
The Court held that Section 33 of the Aadhaar Act permits disclosure of information by order of a court not inferior to a High Court judge, provided the Aadhaar authority and affected Aadhaar number holders are heard. In this case, the Court found hearing the unknown Aadhaar holders unnecessary as their identity and whereabouts were precisely what the investigation sought to establish. Moreover, the Court clarified that the police did not seek disclosure of core biometric information but only requested UIDAI to conduct fingerprint comparisons and share information about the whereabouts of matching persons. This limited request does not infringe on privacy rights as upheld by the Supreme Court in K.S. Puttaswami v. Union of India (2019), which affirmed the constitutionality of Section 33 and the permissibility of Aadhaar data use for police investigations under strict safeguards.
Addressing technical objections, the Court accepted expert confirmation from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) that JPEG format fingerprints could be converted to the binary format required for matching using available software and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS). This dispelled UIDAI's claim of technological incapability.
The Court's order confines the fingerprint comparison to the Aadhaar data of Coimbatore District, respecting the investigating agency's belief that the other offenders reside there, thus limiting the scope and potential privacy impact. The Court emphasized that this order is passed due to the exceptional facts of this double murder case and should not be treated as a precedent for other investigations.
This decision marks a significant judicial recognition of the balance between individual privacy and the needs of criminal investigations, affirming that Aadhaar data can be used in exceptional cases with judicial oversight. The judgment provides a legal framework for law enforcement agencies to seek Aadhaar-based biometric assistance in serious crimes, while ensuring privacy safeguards are maintained.
Bottom Line:
Aadhaar Act, 2016 - In exceptional circumstances of a murder investigation, High Court can direct UIDAI to compare suspects' fingerprints with Aadhaar database of a limited area and disclose only whereabouts/identity-related information of matching persons - Such direction does not amount to disclosure of core biometric information and is not barred by privacy principles in K.S. Puttaswami.
Statutory provision(s): Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 Sections 28, 29, 33; Constitution of India Article 21
State of Kerala v. Govt of India, (Kerala) : Law Finder Doc Id # 2996670
