SC says Date of Birth proof is not Aadhaar Card, its just an Identity
According to sources the supreme court this week held that an Aadhaar does not serve as conclusive or authoritative proof of date of birth, affirming a Motor accident Claims Tribunal order that determined the deceased’s age based on a school leaving certificate for compensation calculation. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted that the unique identification authority of india (UIDAI), through a 2023 circular referencing a december 20, 2018, office memorandum from the ministry of electronics and information technology, clarified that while an Aadhaar card may be used to establish identity, it is not per se proof of date of birth.When dealing with an appeal filed by Saroj and others, the court examined whether, in instances where discrepancies arise between two documents concerning the date of birth like in the present case, a school leaving certificate and an Aadhaar card which of the two is to be taken as authoritative. The bench also noted that the question of whether an Aadhaar card constitutes sufficient proof of a person’s age has previously been considered by various high courts, albeit in relation to different statutory contexts.Moreover the court also referred to the Constitution Bench judgement in KS Puttaswamy vs Union of india (2019) that the aim of the Aadhaar card was to serve as proof of identity which will be unique in nature. On this aspect, the apex court agreed with the view of MACT relying upon the school leaving certificate.