Union Home Ministry seeks Aadhaar authentication of prisoners and jail visitors

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to the States and Union Territories, asking them to utilise the Aadhaar authentication of prison inmates and their visitors

Prisoners lodged in the approximately 1,300 jails across the country, and their visitors, may have to undergo Aadhaar authentication, an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure the security of the inmates, and prevent identity fraud. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to the States and Union Territories, asking them to utilise the Aadhaar authentication of prison inmates and their visitors with a view to strengthening the safe and secure custody of prisoners, and also to ensure the delivery of the Aadhaar benefits to which they are entitled.

After issuing a notification to the Prison Department, authorising them to perform Aadhaar authentication of prison inmates and their visitors under the provisions of the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules 2020, the MHA said National Informatics Centre (NIC)/ePrisons had developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) for Aadhaar linking/authentication of prisoners/visitors. 

However, the notification dated September 29, 2023, stated that the authentication process would be on a voluntary basis and the States/Union Territories would have to adhere to the relevant guidelines issued by the Centre from time to time.

Justifying the move to authenticate the inmates and their visitors, the MHA in a note said prison security was one of the critical issues for the State to maintain law and order. With the growing prison inmate population in the country, prison authorities are under pressure to manage them and identify their records.

“The identification of inmates and other stakeholders of prisons is the requirement of the day. This can be achieved by the Aadhaar based verification of the inmates,” the MHA said, adding that the NIC had developed the Aadhaar services integrated with the ePrisons system, and made it functional in 1,309 of the 1,378 prisons in the country. 

The ePrisons integrated Aadhaar services could be used for accurately verifying prison inmates, their visitors, reducing identity fraud within the prison system, and streamlining administrative processes related to the management of prisoners.