Mid-Day Impact: Mumbai man with severe disability gets Aadhaar after Bombay High Court intervention and UIDAI doorstep enrolment

For 36yearold Mumbai resident Devrath Shah obtaining an Aadhar card had remained an impossible task for years His severe disability prevented standard biometric authentication leaving him without a government identity document and blocking access to several essential servicesThat changed after intervention by the Bombay High Court the District Legal Services Authority DLSA UIDAI officials and authorities who worked together to help Devrath complete the enrolment process from his homeFollowing a MidDay report published on July 25 titled lsquoWho will care for him after usrsquo which highlighted the struggles of Devrath and his ageing parents the administrative intervention by Bombay High Court directed the Mumbai District Legal Services Authority to examine the matterWithin days the legal aid authorities arranged the necessary documentation and facilitated a homebased Aadhaar enrolment using a portable biometric kit On July 29 UIDAI generated Devrathrsquos 12digit unique identification number giving him a permanent Aadhaar identity The physical Aadhaar card will be delivered to the family soonFor the Shah family the development marks the end of a long and frustrating battle The document will allow them to reactivate Devrathrsquos dormant bank account apply for a permanent disability certificate and seek government welfare healthcare and social security benefits that were previously inaccessibleWhy Aadhaar matteredWithout an Aadhaar card Devrath could notgtgt Reactivate his dormant Bank of Baroda accountgtgt Obtain a permanent disability certificategtgt Apply for disability pension and welfare schemesgtgt Access several Aadhaarlinked government servicesLegal aid clears documentation hurdleSoon after the MidDay report brought attention to the issue the Bombay High Court asked the Mumbai District Legal Services Authority DLSA to step inMayur Kame a paralegal volunteer attached to DLSA Mazgaon Court visited the Shah familyrsquos residence in Khetwadi Girgaum and collected the required details Since Devrath did not have a domicile certificate the first challenge was completing the documentation needed for Aadhaar enrolmentThe authorities submitted the necessary documents through the Setu system and Devrathrsquos domicile certificate was issued within a dayAfter this Aadhaar officials began the enrolment process Since Devrathrsquos fingerprints were unclear due to his medical condition officials relied on iris authentication Several attempts were made before the biometric process was successfully completedMidDay has seen the copies of Devrathrsquos domicile certificate and Aadhaar card issued by the authorities The documents have not been published in order to protect Devrathrsquos personal informationAadhaar team visits Shah residenceOn July 27 afternoon a special Aadhaar team along with Mayur Kame arrived at the Shah familyrsquos home carrying a portable enrolment kitDespite the difficulty caused by Devrathrsquos condition officials patiently attempted biometric capture multiple times They eventually succeeded in recording his iris scan and obtaining a partial fingerprint impressionThe officials informed the family that the enrolment had been completed and that the Aadhaar card would be issued shortlyFor Nayan and Bela Shah who have spent nearly four decades caring for their son the moment brought renewed hope A wheelchair was also donated to Devrath by DLSA MumbaiFamily prepares next stepsWith Aadhaar now secured the Shah family has begun planning the next steps for Devrathrsquos futureTheir priorities includeReactivating Devrathrsquos dormant savings account with Bank of Baroda so banking facilities can resumeObtaining a permanent disability certificate from JJ HospitalApplying for government welfare schemes disability benefits and pension supportEnsuring continued access to healthcare and social security services linked to AadhaarldquoWe do not want to hurry We will go step by step Everything will happen once the Aadhaar is issued to himrdquo said Devrathrsquos father Nayan ShahlsquoWe had almost given up hopersquoRecalling years of unsuccessful attempts Nayan said the family had repeatedly approached authorities since the Covid period but could not complete the enrolment processldquoWe had been trying since the Covid period For the last three to four years we kept making rounds but nothing was happening We had almost given up hope After the article was published in midday everything started movingrdquo he saidHe added ldquoThe officials came home completed the domicile certificate immediately and later brought the Aadhaar kit They made several attempts to capture the iris and fingerprints and finally succeeded They did not charge us a single rupeerdquoNayan said Aadhaar would now help unlock essential services for his son ldquoOnce the Aadhaar card arrives our first step will be to reactivate his Bank of Baroda account Then we will approach JJ Hospital for a permanent disability certificate and subsequently apply for government schemes and benefits meant for persons with disabilities We will move forward step by steprdquo he saidMother calls it the happiest momentFor Bela Shah the development was an emotional milestoneldquoFor the first time my son will have his own government identity document I am extremely happy This document will help him receive the recognition and benefits that he deservesrdquo she saidBela has devoted her life to caring for Devrath who suffered a brain haemorrhage within 12 hours after birth leaving him severely disabled and dependent on his parents Now in their sixties Nayan and Belarsquos biggest concern has been ensuring their sonrsquos future after they are no longer able to care for himOfficials assure continued supportPavan Tapadiya Secretary DLSA Mumbai confirmed that UIDAI generated Devrathrsquos Aadhaar number on WednesdayldquoThe 12digit unique identification number was generated by UIDAI on Wednesday July 29 thereby giving Devrath a permanent Aadhaar ID The official Aadhaar card will be received by the family soonrdquo he saidTapadiya added that the NALSA Scheme for Persons with Mental Illness and Intellectual Disabilities 2024 aims to ensure legal support for vulnerable persons ldquoOur paralegal volunteer Mayur Kame visited the familyrsquos home to provide assistance and we will ensure that Devrath receives all necessary support to avail himself of other government welfare and social security benefitsrdquo he saidAdditional Collector Mumbai City Bappasaheb Thorat said the authorities would assist the family further He explained that the domicile certificate was issued after the required documentation was completed and that Aadhaar enrolment was challenging because of unclear fingerprints ldquoThe enrolment was ultimately completed using an iris scan after numerous attemptsrdquo he saidThorat also assured assistance in obtaining a disability certificate and checking Devrathrsquos eligibility for the Sanjay Gandhi Disability Pension Scheme which provides a monthly pension of Rs 2500 for eligible beneficiariesHome enrolment could become a modelDisability rights advocate and Bombay High Court counsel Jamshed Mistry said the doorstep Aadhaar enrolment process was a welcome step and should become standard practice in exceptional casesldquoThe Maharashtra Government had formulated this practice of house visits during Covid for persons with disabilities This happened because of a public interest litigation heard by the Bombay High Court during the pandemicrdquo he saidExpert viewJamshed Mistry disability rights advocate and Bombay High Court counselldquoThe Maharashtra Government had formulated this practice of house visits during Covid for persons with disabilities This happened because of a public interest litigation heard by the Bombay High Court during the pandemicrdquoHe said doorstep Aadhaar enrolment should become standard practice for people with severe disabilities who cannot visit enrolment centresSwift steps takenBombay High Court directed legal aid authorities to intervene after MidDay highlighted the issueDLSA officials visited the Shah residence and expedited documentationDomicile certificate was issued within a dayAadhaar officials conducted home enrolment using a portable biometric kitIris scan and partial fingerprints were successfully capturedUIDAI generated Devrathrsquos 12digit Aadhaar IDFamily will now pursue banking access disability certification and welfare benefitsAt a glanceAge 36Residence Khetwadi GirgaumAadhaar July 29 generatedYears without Aadhaar Around 4Enrolment Home visit using portable biometric kitNext step Disability certificate banking and welfare benefits