A PIL in the Supreme Court demands stricter Aadhaar issuance rules to prevent misuse and illegal enrolments. The plea highlights security risks and calls for limiting Aadhaar’s role to identity proof only.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay raising serious concerns about the misuse of Aadhaar cards in India. The petition seeks urgent directions from the Court to ensure that Aadhaar is not wrongly treated as proof of citizenship or other personal credentials beyond its intended purpose.
The plea specifically asks authorities to install display boards at Common Service Centres clearly stating that the 12-digit Aadhaar number is only a “proof of identity” and not a proof of citizenship, address, or date of birth. The petition highlights widespread confusion among the public and authorities, where Aadhaar is often being treated as a primary document for multiple purposes.
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The petition has made several parties responsible, including all States and Union Territories, along with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards. It has also included key Union ministries such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, the plea argues that Aadhaar, which was originally introduced as a basic identity document, has now evolved into what the petitioner calls a “foundational document”. This means that Aadhaar is increasingly being used to obtain other important documents like ration cards, domicile certificates, and voter ID cards.
The petition raises alarm over the scale of Aadhaar usage in India, stating,
“The UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar cards, and 99 per cent Indians have been enrolled. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL under Article 32, seeking a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar cards only to children and frame new stringent guidelines for adolescents and adults, so as to stop infiltrators from getting it and masquerading as Indian citizens.”
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According to the plea, the issue became serious after the petitioner allegedly discovered loopholes in the Aadhaar verification process. It claims that the system is weak and can be easily manipulated, allowing illegal entrants to obtain Aadhaar cards.
Explaining the alleged misuse, the petition states,
“Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the ‘foreign’ category. But 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 PIL also questions whether the Aadhaar Act, 2016 has become outdated or “temporally unreasonable”, arguing that it has failed to meet its original objective of clearly distinguishing between Indian citizens and foreigners.
Further, the petition invokes important constitutional rights under Articles 14, 19, and 21, stating that misuse of Aadhaar could impact equality, freedom, and the right to life. It argues that such misuse weakens targeted welfare schemes and leads to diversion of government benefits.
Additionally, the plea raises concerns about national security and electoral integrity, warning that illegal enrolments could affect democratic processes by allowing non-citizens to blend into the system.
The matter is expected to raise significant legal and constitutional questions before the Supreme Court, especially regarding identity verification, citizenship safeguards, and the future framework of Aadhaar regulation in India.
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