'Fake ration cards being issued using genuine Aadhaar numbers'

With a man alleging that ration cards were being allegedly issued using fake identities made from genuine Aadhaar numbers, Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government what steps it was taking to check such irregularities.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal raised the query while hearing a PIL which had alleged that illegal ration cards were being issued on "bogus identities" created by using Aadhaar numbers of genuine persons.

The court said the irregularities pointed out in the petition were "substantiated" after it perused the material on record.

The bench directed the AAP government to file an additional affidavit and listed the matter for hearing on October 19.
 

The petition was moved by a book shop owner Shyam Sunder, who contended that people whose identities have been used are not aware that ration cards have been issued in their names and ration was being illegally availed at subsidised rates on their behalf.

In his petition, he has sought an investigation into the alleged fraud in issuance of rations cards and the illegal transactions carried out by using them.

He has alleged that when he entered his Aadhaar number in the 'Track Food Security Application' link on the website of Delhi government's Department of Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs, he found it was linked to a ration card of a woman, Premwati, who was indicated as his mother.

He said that he had never applied for a ration card or made a food security application and his mother's name was Radha Devi.

He has claimed in his plea that "frivolous and fabricated ration cards were being issued on presumably superficial names, and using the same, ration at subsidised rates, meant for the needy people, was being illegally collected by a well- organised gang of people and the same was presumably sold at market price, against the policies of Government, depriving those who need the said ration at subsidised rates.