Government’s new rule: Aadhaar is now required for death certificates

This move is to restrict the identity fraud, says government; as of now Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Assam are exempted.

The government on Friday has made Aadhaar numbers pre-requisite to residents of all States for issuing death certificates, terming it a move to curb identity fraud, barring Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Assam, so that the identity of the deceased could be established. The order comes into effect from October 1, 2017. For the three States, a date will be notified separately, the Home Ministry said in a statement.

If a person who applies for the death certificate is unaware of the Aadhaar number or Aadhaar enrolment ID Number (EID) of the deceased person, then he or she would be required to provide a certificate stating that the deceased person does not possess an Aadhaar number to the best of her or his knowledge, the statement said.

However, as per the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and also the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969, any false declaration given by the applicant would be treated as an offence.

“Applicant’s Aadhaar number shall also be collected along with the Aadhaar number of the spouse or parents,” the Ministry said, citing a notification issued by the Registrar General of India (RGI), which is entrusted with conducting the country’s census and maintaining the register of births and deaths.



“In a notification, the RGI under the Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the use of Aadhaar number for the applicants of the death certificate will ensure accurate details of the deceased person as provided by the relatives/ dependents / acquaintances. It will be an effective method to prevent frauds based on identity. According to the statement, it will also help in recording the identity of a deceased person.

This would eliminate the need to produce different documents to prove the identity of a deceased person. The RGI has instructed the concerned departments in all States and Union Territories which are responsible for the birth and deaths registration to ensure compliance with the concerned registration authorities and a confirmation to this effect by September 1, 2017.

A Ministry spokesperson told The Hindu the effective date for the new rule will be October 1 and the States will have to inform the Centre about their preparedness for the new system by September 1.

Aadhaar Act’s section 57 allows Aadhaar number to be used for proving the identity of a person for any purpose following any law or any contract. It is under the provisions of Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 and the corresponding Rules made by State governments, that the registration of births and deaths are being done.