On Tuesday, the Telangana High Court directed the State government not to insist on people submitting Aadhaar information while uploading details about the immovable property in the recently launched Dharani portal, an integrated land record management system.
The bench comprising of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed an interim order in petitions challenging the collection of Aadhaar Card numbers from the property owners for uploading property details in the Dharani portal.
Subsequently, the court noted that though the Dharani Portal makes it mandatory that the Aadhaar number must be given, such a requirement is not seen in the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Pass Books Act, 2020.
“There is no chapter or any provision clearly indicating as to who would collect the personal details, including Aadhaar Card details? Who will keep the information data in its possession? Who would have access to this information data? How the said information data would be protected? By whom it would be, protected? Under what circumstances the information so collected can be accessed? By whom such information can be accessed? And whether the person whose information is being accessed would have a right to prior notice or not? Thus, the Act of 2020 nowhere deals with the procedure, security, and safety of the information data being collected. Even if there is no allegation that the data so far collected has been leaked or violates the privacy rights of the people, the said fact is absolutely immaterial,” observed the bench.
Meanwhile, Advocate General BS Prasad informed the court that the objective of seeking Aadhaar details for agricultural land was to ensure that genuine landowners would get the benefits of the Rythu Bandhu Scheme of the government and other social welfare schemes.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao recently launched the Dharani portal which has records pertaining to about 1.46 crore acres of land and people can access their land records any time with just a click away.
