No Aadhaar Biometrics, No GST: Delhi HC Orders Nationwide Fraud Check
What Happened
The Delhi High Court has directed authorities across India not to grant any new GST registration without biometric-based Aadhaar authentication. The court said fake GST registrations using stolen or frozen PAN and Aadhaar details have continued despite earlier government measures, causing revenue losses and harassment to innocent citizens.
Key Takeaways
The ruling aims to curb large-scale GST fraud and tax evasion. The court noted that authorities detected 2,800 fraudulent GST registrations involving ₹15,085 crore of tax evasion in 2023-24 and 1,654 cases involving ₹13,109 crore in 2024-25. The order could make GST registration more secure but may also add an extra verification step for genuine applicants. Authorities can still raise practical implementation concerns when the matter is heard again on September 22.