A person's identity can't be determined solely by a machine: HC rules biometric failure can't deny legal rights

Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that failure of biometric verification cannot be a reason to deny a person’s legal or fundamental rights. The decision was made by Justice Subodh Abhyankar while hearing a petition by Vinod Kumar Meena, who was refused a job at Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) due to biometric verification failure during the onboarding process, a TOI report stated.

Petitioner’s claim and verification issues

Meena had appeared for the examination conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), where his biometrics were verified during entry. However, a mismatch occurred during exit verification. Despite being shortlisted, he was denied the job after his biometric verification failed in the onboarding process.

His counsel argued that the issue was technical, and LIC had not disclosed the TCS report, which led to his rejection. “It was merely a technical issue which led the petitioner to file this petition, and the respondents (LIC) have also not disclosed the report of the TCS, on the basis of which they have rejected the petitioner’s candidature for the post of assistant,” the counsel stated.

Court’s observations

Justice Abhyankar acknowledged the importance of biometric verification in ensuring a fair selection process but noted that such systems are not always reliable. “Although it is true that biometric verification is necessary nowadays to eliminate any discrepancy, and to ensure free and fair process of selection, it is also true that biometric verification is not always successful in eliminating discrepancies, like in the present case, and there are occasions when biometric verification of a candidate cannot be done due to a myriad reasons, beyond the control of the parties,” he stated.