The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice on a petition seeking response from the central and state governments. In this petition, it has been alleged that the Aadhaar card issued by UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) is being wrongly used as proof of citizenship and address. The petition demands that the use of Aadhaar be limited to identity verification only. The petition alleged that Aadhaar is being used by infiltrators and illegal immigrants for their citizenship.
The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana has heard the petition of lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay regarding the Aadhaar card issued by UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India). During this time, the bench has issued notice to the Centre, all the states and union territories and sought their response. The petition has sought directions to the Centre, states and the Election Commission to ensure that Aadhaar is used only as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship, residence, address or date of birth.
Use of Aadhaar in voter registration is against the law
According to the petition, Aadhaar is being taken as proof of date of birth and address in the new voter registration (Form-6). The petitioner argues that this process is against the law. This is a direct violation of Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act 2016, Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act 1950 and Article 14 of the Constitution. Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act clearly says that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship or domicile. The same thing was made clear in the notification of UIDAI dated August 22, 2023 that Aadhaar is only a proof of identity and not of citizenship or date of birth.
Infiltrators and illegal immigrants are misusing
The petition states, “Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 clearly states that ‘Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship or residence.’ In a notification issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on August 22, 2023, it has also been made clear that ‘Aadhaar is proof of identity, and not proof of citizenship, address or date of birth’. Infiltrators and illegal immigrants are misusing Aadhaar.
At which places Aadhaar card is being used?
The petition states, “Despite this, Aadhaar is being used not only for school admissions, purchasing property and obtaining documents like birth certificate, ration card and driving license. It is also being used as proof of age, citizenship and residence. Not only this, it is also being used as proof of date of birth and residence for new voter registration (Form-6).
Major changes in the verification system
The petition demanded major changes in the verification system used in electoral processes. Additionally, it was also proposed to form a high-level monitoring committee to monitor the reforms, which would include retired Supreme Court judges as well as cyber security and forensic experts.
Leave a Reply