The Supreme Court seeks responses from the Centre and various State governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that calls for restricting the use of Aadhaar solely as a means of identity verification.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana issued notices on the plea filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who has challenged the growing reliance on Aadhaar for purposes beyond its statutory mandate.
The petition submits that the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 was enacted to facilitate identity authentication and was never intended to serve as proof of citizenship, domicile, residence, age, or any other legal entitlement. It argues that several authorities and institutions have increasingly been treating Aadhaar as a foundational document for matters that require independent proof of an individual’s legal status.
Drawing attention to Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, the plea highlights that the law expressly states that possession of an Aadhaar number does not establish citizenship, domicile, or residency rights. Despite this clear statutory provision, the petitioner contends that Aadhaar is frequently being accepted as evidence for purposes for which it was not designed.
The PIL therefore seeks judicial directions to ensure that Aadhaar remains confined to its intended role as an identity document and is not used in place of records that determine nationality, residence, age, or other legal qualifications.
After hearing the submissions, the Court issued notice on the petition and directed the Union Government and the States to place their responses on record.
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