The Delhi High Court on Friday (July 27) issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed regarding the utilisation of the biometric details in Aadhaar to track down children, old persons and the mentally challenged who have been separated from their families. The novel idea is to reunite them with their families as and when such persons are rescued by any department or authority.

The court directed the respondents to place an action taken report on the representation made by petitioner to them within four weeks and put the matter for hearing on November 13.

The petitioner contended: “There are still many persons who are yet to be traced. That number is 3,19,627 and teh need to do this search is urgent, because these missing persons are often illegally forced to participate in organised crimes by traffickers. It is duty of respondents to deal with such critical situation.”

—India Legal Bureau