Aadhaar details help mentally-ill woman reunite with family

Enrolment of a mentally-ill woman under the Aadhaar scheme came handy as it helped her reunite with her family after she went missing over four months ago.

The 31-year-old woman was found abandoned on Delhi roads and after being rescued by police, she was sent to short-stay home 'Nirmal Chhaya' by a court which had directed the authorities to help her undergo Aadhaar registration.

In the process of making her Aadhaar card, it was revealed that her biometric records preexisted in the Aadhaar database and the Delhi Police was able to obtain her details from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

The consistent efforts of court to reunite her with her family proved fruitful when Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra was informed by police officials that they have found her antecedents. Her missing complaint was lodged in Malakhera police station in Rajasthan's Alwar district on November 30, 2017.

When the police contacted her husband, he willingly came forward to take her back home.

During a recent hearing, the woman, who was kept in Asha Kiran, a home for the mentally retarded in Rohini, and her husband were brought to the court.

The investigating officer submitted that they have verified the credentials of the man and the police has no objection to reintegration of the woman to her family.

"Accordingly, the patient be handed over to her husband after completion of necessary formalities in Asha Kiran. Husband of the woman is directed to ensure proper treatment of the patient is continued," the magistrate said.

The court also appreciated inspector Devender Kumar Singh, SHO of Kashmere Gate Police Station, and sub inspector Satender Singh for making "untiring efforts" to trace the family of the woman and reuniting her with her family.

The woman, who was found by police near Kashmere Gate in February, was also admitted to IHBAS for treatment.

When the court interacted with her, she was not found in a fit state of mind.

To ascertain the aspect of sexual abuse, she was also examined by the doctors at a government hospital here but they found no visible sign of such assault and her pregnancy test were also negative.

The Supreme Court has been hearing various pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar scheme.

Half-way homes serve as a stop-gap place for people who have undergone treatment for mental illness before they venture into the real world.

The high court had in 2009 passed directions for making half-way homes after a public interest litigation was filed on the issue.