The Delhi High Court has issued a directive for all jail superintendents within the capital to implement Aadhaar QR code verification applications, aiming to expedite the release process for prisoners granted bail. This decision, rendered by a Division Bench consisting of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Mahajan on May 22, addresses the notable delays—sometimes exceeding 50 days—experienced in releasing both convicts and undertrials post-bail approvals.
Implementing Aadhaar for Verification
The Court identified extensive delays in verifying the identity and credentials of sureties, who are typically friends or relatives that assure a defendant’s attendance at court proceedings. To mitigate these delays, the Court proposed the utilization of Aadhaar-based verification applications.
“From now on, to expedite surety verification and bail order formalities, all Jail Superintendents across Delhi are required to adopt the following steps: Verification of sureties and associated credentials can be conducted by scanning the Secure QR Code on their Aadhaar card using the following applications: (a) Aadhaar QR scanner app, (b) mAadhaar App, and (c) Aadhaar App,” the Court’s order specified.
The directive further stated that if additional verification is necessary after initial data retrieval from these applications, it should be conducted promptly.
Financial Verification Procedures
Regarding the verification of Fixed Deposits (FD) or other monetary instruments issued by banks, the Court instructed jail superintendents to continue using email communication. Banks and financial institutions are expected to respond swiftly, with the superintendents authorized to share this court order with banks when verification is required for sureties.
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This directive was a result of a suo motu case after a prisoner remained in custody for over a week post-bail due to incomplete verification by the jail superintendent. Court data revealed that between February 1 and February 15, 2026, the average release time for undertrials and convicts post-bail ranged from five to six days. Yet, delays extended to 33 or 56 days in certain instances due to inter-state verification and financial instrument checks.
Nationwide Use of Aadhaar in Prisons
During the proceedings, representatives from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) informed the court of existing Aadhaar verification technology usage in prisons nationwide for visitor authentication. They demonstrated mobile applications capable of instant Aadhaar credential verification through QR code scanning.
Consequently, the Court instructed UIDAI to provide an affidavit detailing the implementation of Aadhaar verification in jails and trial courts across the country, following directives from various High Courts.
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Senior Advocate Puneet Mittal, assisted by advocate RP Singh, served as amicus curiae in the case. Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) Amol Sinha and advocate Kshitiz Garg represented the State, while Advocate Sushil Raja appeared on behalf of UIDAI.
For further details, refer to the judgment in the case Court On Its Own Motion vs Director General Of Prisons, Govt Of NCT Of Delhi, as documented in LawLens.
