The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes’ (NCST) probe, which concluded that the Kumbh Mela viral star—who married in a controversial ceremony in Kerala—is a minor, also found that the authorities permitted the marriage based solely on an Aadhaar card. The report states that, during the investigation, it was discovered that only an Aadhaar was submitted, which is merely proof of identity and not of date of birth.
The UIDAI itself has clarified in the past that, although Aadhaar is an identity document, it is not a valid or conclusive proof of date of birth. In Saroj & Ors. vs IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance Co. & Ors., the Supreme Court also authoritatively held that an Aadhaar card is not a suitable document for proving a person’s date of birth.
The viral star and Mohammad Farmaan married at the Nainar Devi temple in Poovar village, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. According to the Aadhaar card submitted by the viral star, her date of birth is 1 January 2008—implying her age was 18 years, 2 months, and 10 days. According to the documents submitted, Mohammad Farmaan is 25 years old.
The couple had approached the temple a week before the marriage, which was solemnised on 11 March. The couple told the temple authorities that they were in Kerala for a film shoot in the surrounding areas and, having liked the natural and picturesque environment, they wished to marry at the temple.
The NCST probe report found that, besides the Aadhaar cards, they had submitted self-attested copies of the same, along with an application and undertaking on 11 March stating that they were majors and wished to marry of their own volition. The temple authorities considered this while allowing the marriage “after verification of Aadhaar cards by the Kerala Police through a scanner.”
Poovar panchayat’s Arumanoor ward member, Bijukumar S., was one of the two witnesses to the marriage. The report states that Bijukumar said during the investigation that he did not know the whereabouts or local address of the newlywed couple. Poovar Panchayat president and UDF member Athira A.J., meanwhile, told the NCST that she was aware of the marriage and, as panchayat president, she wilfully took responsibility for the declaration certificate without persuasion from anyone. The NCST concluded that neither the temple authorities nor the local panchayat members knew the couple previously, and that they had relied solely on the undertaking and application submitted by the individuals.
Interestingly, the NCST constituted an investigative team on its own after it did not receive a prompt response from the Kerala or Madhya Pradesh Police. On 17 March, the Commission wrote to both the DGP of Madhya Pradesh and the DGP of Kerala, seeking facts regarding the allegations that the marriage took place under coercion and that the girl is a minor. Incidentally, the NCST team visited Sree Nainar Devi Temple at Poovar on 24 March.
Birthday confusion and conclusion
On 25 March, the NCST investigation team visited the viral star’s parents at their current residence in Maheshwar, Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh. The Commission found that they belong to the Pardhi community, a Scheduled Tribe from Maharashtra.
The parents stated that their daughter is a minor. However, while obtaining her birth certificate (application submitted in May 2025), they lacked adequate information and supporting documents. They therefore submitted an affidavit and an application to the Tehsildar of Maheshwar, requesting a birth certificate “based on an estimation.”
Consequently, the digital birth certificate issued by the Tehsildar and the Chief Municipal Officer of Maheshwar recorded an erroneous date of birth—1 January 2008—according to the NCST. This certificate was issued to the girl’s father on 5 June 2025.
Jai Singh, who later filed a complaint alleging that his daughter had been abducted, subsequently found that records of her birth were maintained at the hospital where she was delivered. When the Medical Officer of Maheshwar was contacted, a certificate confirming the birth was issued based on the official birth register. Notably, Jai Singh had submitted an application to the Medical Officer only on 18 March, a week after his daughter’s marriage in Kerala.
The birth register maintained by the Community Health Centre, Maheshwar, contains a 2009 entry recording the birth of a female infant to Lata and Jai Singh. Based on this document, the NCST concluded that the viral star’s date of birth is 30 December 2009, and that she was a minor (16 years, 2 months, and 12 days) at the time of her marriage.
Jai Singh has now approached the Executive Magistrate of Maheshwar, seeking a revision of the earlier order based on the hospital records. Following this, the Maheshwar Police registered an FIR under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with kidnapping, on 25 March.
The NCST recommended that Sections 87, 83, 96, 64, 81, and 56 of the BNS be added to the case. These provisions relate to offences including rape, procuration of a child, and fraudulent marriage. The Commission also recommended invoking Sections 17 and 18 of the POCSO Act, which deal with the abetment of sexual offences against children.
Furthermore, the NCST recommended invoking relevant provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. The Commission also recommended handing the victim over to her parents.
Notably, CPM leaders, including state Education Minister V. Sivankutty, state secretary M.V. Govindan, and Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim, had attended the wedding. A Congress leader has filed a complaint with the Kunnamkulam police seeking the registration of a POCSO case against them. The NCST has summoned the DGPs of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to New Delhi on 22 April.