PIL in Supreme Court seeks measures to ensure Aadhaar is used strictly as identity proof only

Alleging that Aadhaar was being used as a proof of citizenship, domicile and residential address, a PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to ensure that the unique identification number was used strictly only as an identity proof.

Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay --- an advocate—has sought directions to the Centre, states and the Election Commission to ensure that Aadhaar was used as a proof of identity and not as a proof of citizenship, domicile, address and date of birth.

The PIL also sought directions that the use of Aadhaar as a proof of date of birth and residence in the application form for new voter registration be considered against Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, Section 23(4) of the RPA, 1950 and Article 14 of the Constitution.

Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act explicitly states that Aadhaar is not evidence of citizenship or domicile, Upadhyay pointed out.

Referring to a notification issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on August 22, 2023 clarifying that Aadhaar served only as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship, address or date of birth, the petitioner said despite these provisions, it was being widely accepted as proof of age, citizenship and domicile for purposes such as school admissions, property purchases, birth certificates, ration cards and driving licences.

The current verification process under Form-6 is inadequate and could allow individuals without proper supporting documents to be added to the electoral database, it alleged.

Seeking reforms in the electoral verification system, the PIL proposed the constitution of a high-powered monitoring committee comprising a retired Supreme Court judge along with cybersecurity and forensic experts to oversee changes in the verification framework.