SC to Hear PIL Seeking Stricter Aadhaar Rules for Adolescents and Adults on May 4

NEW DELHI, May 3: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking stricter guidelines for issuing Aadhaar cards to adolescents and adults, and restricting issuance of new Aadhaar numbers to children up to six years of age.

According to the apex court’s causelist for May 4, the matter will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The PIL, filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay through advocate Ashwani Dubey, has sought directions to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to ensure tighter verification processes, arguing that current systems are vulnerable to misuse.

The plea also urges authorities to install display boards at Aadhaar enrolment centres clarifying that the 12-digit number is only a proof of identity and not proof of citizenship, address, or date of birth.

It has been made against UIDAI along with the Union ministries of Home, Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology, as well as all states and Union Territories.

The petitioner contends that Aadhaar, originally intended as an identity proof, has increasingly become a foundational document for obtaining other essential records such as ration cards, domicile certificates, and voter IDs.

Citing concerns over alleged misuse, the plea claims that individuals described as “infiltrators” are able to obtain Aadhaar through weak verification mechanisms and subsequently access multiple official documents, effectively blending into the citizen database.

It also raises constitutional and legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act, 2016 has become “temporally unreasonable” in failing to distinguish effectively between citizens and non-citizens.

The plea further argues that such alleged misuse undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources. (Agencies)