NEW DELHI: A petition before the Supreme Court has sought a direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six, and to set strict guidelines for issuing them to teenagers and adults, to prevent hackers from masquerading as Indian citizens.
The public interest litigation filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at shared service centers stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is merely a “proof of identity” and not a proof of nationality, address or date of birth.
Along with all states and union territories, the appeal has introduced UIDAI, the authority that issues Aadhaar cards, and the ministries of home, law, justice, electronics and information technology as federal parties.
Aadhaar, which was originally intended as proof of identity, has increasingly become a “foundational document” that enables individuals to obtain other identity documents, such as ration cards, housing certificates and voter ID cards, said the petition filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey.
“UIDAI has issued Rs 144 crore Aadhaar cards, of which 99 per cent are Indians. Therefore, the petitioner files this petition as a PIL under Article 32, and seeks a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar cards only to children and frame new strict guidelines for teenagers and adults, so as to prevent hackers from obtaining them and masquerading as Indian citizens,” it said.
It said the need to file the petition arose when the petitioner came to know about the way hackers could obtain Aadhaar cards through a weak verification process that could be easily manipulated.
“Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the ‘Foreigner’ category. But hackers apply for Aadhaar under the ‘Indian Citizen’ category and get it easily. After that, they get a ration card, birth and residence certificate, driving license, etc., so that they are basically indistinguishable from Indian citizens….”
This petition also raised legal questions, including whether the 2016 Aadhaar Act has been rendered “temporarily unconscionable” by failing to keep pace with the legislative intent of discriminating between foreigners and Indian nationals.
Citing Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, the petition said the alleged misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted social welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources.
It also cited constitutional provisions related to election integrity and national security, claiming that illegal registrations could distort democratic processes.
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