MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has asked the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to temporarily halt the state’s faceless learner’s licence facility after widespread misuse and serious security gaps came to light, state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced on Friday.
The online service, launched in June 2021, allowed applicants to log into the Sarathi 4.0 portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, authenticate themselves via Aadhaar, and take an online test to obtain a learner’s licence without visiting an RTO.
At a high-level review meeting held earlier in the day at Mantralaya, officials flagged multiple loopholes in the system. According to a release from the minister’s office, the faceless platform was found vulnerable to Aadhaar data manipulation, alteration of personal details such as name, address, and date of birth, and even bypassing NIC’s security software—enabling some candidates to clear the learner’s test without being physically present.
Sarnaik pointed out that several teenagers had secured licences immediately after turning 18 but ignored the rule requiring them to drive only under the supervision of a permanent licence holder. “In many cases of reckless or drunk driving, the accused were found to possess only learner’s licences. Such misuse poses a grave risk to road safety. The faceless licence system needs comprehensive reform,” the minister said.
Officials also warned that unchecked vulnerabilities could lead to large-scale issuance of fake licences, endangering both road safety and national security.
The minister has instructed the transport commissioner to direct NIC to urgently strengthen the system’s safeguards. Until corrective measures are put in place, learner’s licence tests will be held under departmental supervision with strict verification, the release said.
The meeting also noted that while some states outsource their faceless licence systems, several others—including Kerala, Telangana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep—continue to conduct tests exclusively through RTO offices.
To address the issue, the state government has formed an expert committee headed by Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, which will submit a detailed report soon. Reforms based on its recommendations will be implemented at the earliest, Sarnaik added.
Currently, over 15 lakh learner’s licences are issued annually in Maharashtra. Before the faceless initiative, applicants were required to visit RTO offices to take the computerized test. The online service, however, made it possible to apply from anywhere in the world—opening the door to both convenience and misuse.
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