Permission for document correction in official identity records must ensure adherence to procedural fairness and the right to rectify errors based on available evidence.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE N.NAGARESH MONDAY, THE 18^TH DAY OF AUGUST 2025 / 27TH SRAVANA, 1947 WP(C) NO. 38744 OF 2024 PETITIONER: SREELATHA S AGED 55 YEARS D/O.MANIRAJAN, ASWATHI NILAYAM, KARATTU KARUVALLIYAD, VAMANAPURAM P.O., THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT, PIN - 695606 BY ADVS.

SRI.BABU S. NAIR SMT.SMITHA BABU RESPONDENTS: THE DIRECTOR UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION AUTHORITY OF INDIA (UIDAI), STATE OFFICE, DOOR SANCHAR BHAVAN, PMG JUNCTION, VIKAS BHAVAN, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695031 BY ADV.

SRI.C.DINESH, CGC THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 18.08.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:

JUDGMENT Dated this the 18^th day of August, 2025 The petitioner is a citizen of India. The petitioner had studied only up to 8^th standard. The petitioner had studied in the NGPM High School, Venchempu and Ext.P1 is the extract of the admission register issued by the Headmaster, NGPM High School. The petitioner states that her name and the date of birth is correctly shown in Ext.P1.

2. The petitioner was born on 03.05.1969.

However, in many of the other identity documents of the petitioner, the name and the date of birth have been wrongly shown as Latha Kumari and in the Aadhar Card, the year of birth of the petitioner is wrongly shown as 1974. Ext.P2 is the Aadhar Card of the petitioner. The respondent is the authority to make corrections in the Aadhar Card.

3. For the purpose of correcting the Aadhar Card, the petitioner had approached the respondent with an application submitted through online producing the other documents including Ext.P1 with a request to correct the Aadhar Card of the petitioner. Ext.P3 is the first and last pages of the Passport of the petitioner. The petitioner had made Ext.P4 application online for the correction of the Aadhar card on 11.12.2023. The request of the petitioner was to correct her name and date of birth, as correctly shown in her School certificate.

4. However, the respondent insisted that a Digital School Certificate alone is acceptable and since the petitioner had studied only upto 8^th standard, it is not possible for getting the Digital School Certificate. The petitioner had also made Ext.P5 Gazette publication to correct the name and date of birth in all the identity documents concerned.

5. In the meantime, since the name of the petitioner in the Ration Card was also Latha Kumari, she had made an application before the Public Distribution Department and her name is corrected in Ext.P6 Ration Card. It is submitted that the respondent ought to have acted upon Ext.P1 School Certificate and also Ext.P3 Passport of the petitioner and ought to have corrected the name and date of birth of the petitioner.

6. The respondent submitted that the petitioner had tried to update her name and date of birth in Aadhaar on 11.12.2023 by submitting Passport as supporting document. As per the approved / acceptable list of supporting documents for Aadhaar, Passport is acceptable document only for updation of date of birth.

7. The respondent submitted that as per the Aadhaar (Enrollment and Update) Sixth Amendment Regulations, 2018 and as per Standard Operation Procedure dated 28.10.2021, the name of the Aadhaar Number Holder (“ANH”) can be updated twice by the ANH in his / her Aadhaar. As per Standard Operation Procedure dated 19.07.2021, the date of birth of the ANH can be updated once by the ANH in his / her Aadhaar.

8. The respondent submitted that as far as the petitioner is concerned, the Gazette Notification for name change from Latha Kumari S. to Sree Latha is an acceptable document for name change in Aadhaar. However, it is seen that Gazette Notifi