New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday, May 4, a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking fresh directions to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue new Aadhaar cards only to children up to six years of age and frame stricter guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults. The plea argues that tighter rules are necessary to prevent infiltrators from masquerading as Indian citizens.
As per the apex court’s causelist, the matter will come up before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The PIL has been filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay through advocate Ashwani Dubey.
The petition also seeks a direction to authorities to install display boards at common service centres clarifying that the 12 digit Aadhaar number is merely a “proof of identity” and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth. It impleads all states and Union Territories, along with the UIDAI and the Union ministries of home affairs, law and justice, and electronics and information technology.
The PIL notes that Aadhaar, originally conceived as a proof of identity, has gradually become a “foundational document” that enables individuals to obtain other official papers such as ration cards, domicile certificates and voter identity cards. The petitioner said the UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar cards and that 99 percent of Indians are enrolled, underscoring the scale of the system.
The plea contends that the weak and manipulable Aadhaar verification process allows infiltrators to obtain the identity number by posing as Indian citizens, while foreigners can apply under a separate “foreign” category. “Infiltrators apply for Aadhaar under the ‘Indian citizen’ category and get it easily made. Thereafter, they obtain a ration card, birth and domicile certificate, driving licence, et cetera, essentially becoming indistinguishable from Indian citizens,” the petition states.
Among other prayers, the PIL raises legal questions on whether the Aadhaar Act, 2016 has become “temporally unreasonable” for failing to keep pace with the original legislative intent of clearly distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens. It also alleges that misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to the diversion of public resources meant for genuine beneficiaries.
(Inputs from PTI)