A petition filed in the Supreme Court has sought direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six years, and frame stringent guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults.
The Public Interest Litigation filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at common service centres stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is only a 'proof of identity' and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth.
The plea argued that Aadhaar, originally intended as a proof of identity, has increasingly become a 'foundational document' enabling individuals to obtain other identification documents.
The petitioner claimed that infiltrators are able to procure Aadhaar cards through a weak verification process and obtain other documents, making them indistinguishable from Indian citizens.
The plea also raised legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act 2016 has become 'temporally unreasonable' for failing to keep up with the legislative intent of distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens.
