The government on Monday said a circular attributed to the Cabinet Secretariat that proposed linking land records to Aadhaar was “fake” and called it a “mischievous” attempt. “A police complaint has been filed and the matter is being investigated,” chief spokesperson Frank Noronha said on Twitter.

The letter, dated June 15 and addressed to the chief secretaries, additional chief secretaries of states and Union Territories, had claimed that the Centre was planning to make it mandatory to link land records to Aadhaar details. “The properties, which are not linked, shall be considered for appropriate action under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amended Act, 2016,” it read. The Centre took note of the matter after it was widely circulated on social media.