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The Election Commission (EC) has reportedly locked the National Identity Cards (NIDs) of around 35,000 citizens, restricting their access to various identity-related services.
An NID lock means that the cardholder’s information remains stored in the EC’s database, but the identity card cannot be used to access relevant services while the restriction remains in force.
The EC maintains the NID database containing the personal information of more than 120 million citizens.
The commission has taken measures to prevent identity-related irregularities, including multiple voter registrations, fraudulent applications and misuse of personal information.
In previous cases, the EC identified citizens holding duplicate NIDs and locked the cards before cancelling the additional registrations. The original NIDs were subsequently reactivated.
An NID may also be locked pending investigation or following requests from relevant government authorities.
The restriction does not necessarily mean that the information provided by the cardholder is false or that the individual has lost citizenship.
Affected citizens may need to contact the NID Wing of the Election Commission to determine the reason for the restriction and the procedure for restoring access to their identity cards.