IFF Raises Concerns Over Aadhaar Use For IRCTC Tatkal Booking

IFF Raises Concerns Over Aadhaar Use For IRCTC Tatkal Booking

The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) called out the Indian Railways’ Aadhaar mandate for Tatkal bookings, claiming it infringes on privacy and legal safeguards. In a blog post, the organisation claimed that the “digital solution to scalping may lead to widespread privacy violations, ineffective enforcement, and increased exclusion without addressing the underlying issues in the Tatkal booking system”. Background The representation follows Union…

Privacy Off the Rails: Why IRCTC’s Aadhaar Mandate is a Dangerous Detour

Donate Nowtl;dr The Ministry of Railways has made Aadhar mandatory for Tatkal bookings on IRCTC from June, 2025. This is a privacy risk, not a security fix. It violates the Supreme Court's judgment in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (privacy judgment), the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Moreover, IRCTC’s poor security track record makes Aadhaar integration dangerous. We wrote to CE…