The Supreme Court ruled that while an Aadhaar card can verify identity, it cannot be accepted as proof of date of birth. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that a person’s age should be verified based on the date of birth stated in their school leaving certificate.
Key Points:
- Age Verification: The Supreme Court held that age should be determined from the school leaving certificate under Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
- Setting Aside High Court Order: The Court overturned a Punjab and Haryana High Court decision that had accepted an Aadhaar card as proof of age in awarding compensation for a road accident victim.
- Unique Identification Authority of India's Circular: Referencing UIDAI’s 2023 circular and a 2018 office memorandum from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the bench stated that Aadhaar can establish identity but not age.
The case involved an appeal by the family of a road accident victim whose age was calculated as 47 years by the High Court based on his Aadhaar card. However, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) initially calculated his age as 45 years using his school leaving certificate. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the MACT’s determination, supporting the claimants' stance.
This judgment reinforces the importance of school certificates as the primary age verification documents over Aadhaar cards in legal matters.
