The Jharkhand High Court has directed the High Court Rules Committee to examine whether the HC Rules, 2001 should be amended making it mandatory for a person who swears on an affidavit to mention his Aadhaar number and submit a photo copy of the Aadhaar card as well.
A bench comprising Justice Anant Bijay Singh also directed the Committee to consider an amendment to the Rules to make it mandatory for such person to physically appear before the Oath Commissioner and to have his photograph taken for the records.
The Court was hearing anticipatory bail applications filed by the two persons-lakhiya Devi and Prasadi Sao- both residents of Chauparan in Hazaribagh and accused in a case of dowry death under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code.
During the hearing, the Court found that the accused had filed two similar applications in the same case, and that the affidavit filed in one of such applications was false.
Justice Singh thereafter referred the matter to the Registrar General of the Court to place the same before the Acting Chief Justice, so that the issues may be brought to be notice of the High Court Rules Committee.
The court found that two anticipatory bail applications were filed on behalf of Prasadi Sao and lakhiya Devi. The first was sworn in by one Ram Briksha Kumar and the other by Amit Kumar Gupta, who claimed himself as son of Prasadi Sao. Ironically, Prasadi Sao, during hearing asserted that he has no son by the name of Amit Kumar Gupta.
Justice Singh found that Amit Gupta’s affidavit was false and thereafter asked the HC rules committee to examine the feasibility of making the Adhaar number mandatory for swearing on an affidavit in order to check the malpractice of filing fake affidavits.