The Unique Identification Authority of India has denied a Right to Information application seeking information on cases related to fake and duplicate Aadhaar cards, PTI reported on Sunday. The authority declined the application citing a possible threat to national security or that the information in the public domain could lead to incitement of an offence.

In its statement to the news agency’s correspondent, UIDAI said its Central Identities Data Repository facilities, information assets, logistics and infrastructure and dependencies, have been classified as ‘Protected System’, under the Information Technology Act, 2000. “Any disclosure of the UIDAI grievance database, which essentially forms a part of the UIDAI CIDR operations, therefore, would have an impact on national security, strategic, scientific and economic interest of the State etc,” the UIDAI said in its reply to the application.

The RTI application had sought data on the cases of duplicate and fake Aadhaar cards received by the UIDAI as well as the action taken. At least eight FIRs have been filed against unauthorised websites for offering Aadhaar enrolment illegally.

The UIDAI had shut down several websites and applications offering Aadhaar-related services to prevent citizens from being harassed. In March this year, an Aadhaar enrolment agency had been de-registered for leaking the personal data of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His wife, Sakshi, had brought the breach to the notice of Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Twitter after e-governance firm Common Services Centre had shared the details on the social media platform.