New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that Aadhaar cards cannot be used to verify age, emphasizing that while Aadhaar serves well for identification, it lacks the reliability needed for confirming date of birth. This decision follows a case where the Punjab and Haryana High Court had accepted an Aadhaar card to establish the age of a road accident victim for compensation.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that age should be verified with documents like school leaving certificates, as required under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Aadhaar, the court explained, is based on biometric data and does not validate the accuracy of birth dates provided during registration.
This ruling affects areas where age is a critical factor, such as legal cases, age-restricted services, and government benefits. The court’s decision brings more clarity to the use of Aadhaar, especially in cases where precise age verification is essential, encouraging reliance on official documents for such purposes.
