Supreme Court To Examine Plea On Aadhaar’s Use Beyond Identity Proof

The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to ensure that Aadhaar is used strictly as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship, domicile, residence or date of birth.

The matter came before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana, which issued notices to the Union government, all state governments and Union Territories, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

The petition argues that the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and UIDAI guidelines recognise Aadhaar only as proof of identity, not citizenship, domicile, address or age.

Authorities continue to accept it for services such as school admissions, voter registration and government documents.

The petitioner has urged the Centre, states and the Election Commission to restrict Aadhaar’s use strictly to purposes permitted under the law.

The plea also seeks to bar the use of Aadhaar as proof of age and residence in voter registration. It argues that residents, including eligible foreign nationals, can obtain Aadhaar and potentially use it to secure other official documents.

According to the petitioner, this could enable ineligible individuals to access welfare benefits and government schemes, undermining the integrity, fairness and transparency of the Aadhaar framework.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on August 7.

The case will examine the legal scope of Aadhaar and determine how authorities can use it in administrative and electoral processes across India.

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