The Bombay High Court has directed the Union government and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to consider amending the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, to enable prompt tracing and deportation of foreign nationals living illegally in India.

A Division Bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata issued the order on July 27; it was made available on Tuesday. The court observed that foreign nationals had obtained Aadhaar cards through fraudulent means to claim Indian identity and conceal their true identity.

The Bench noted that multiple cases had come before the court involving foreign nationals illegally entering India and fraudulently obtaining basic documents. It also said probe agencies had reported such instances, though the available details do not specify the agencies' full findings.

The court's directive is aimed at addressing the misuse of Aadhaar, the country's biometric identification system, in immigration and identity verification contexts.