'Aadhaar is not a document to determine age', Supreme Court quashes decision of Punjab and Haryana High Court

The Supreme Court said that Aadhaar was no document for determining age. The apex court on Thursday quashed the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which accepted an Aadhaar card to determine the age of a road accident victim for giving compensation.

In such a case, a bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ujjal Bhuiyan said that the age of the deceased is required to be ascertained and determined with reference to the date of birth as recorded in the School Leaving Certificate. Further, the bench said that the Unique Identification Authority of India vide Circular No. 8/2023 has clarified that while an Aadhaar Card may be relied upon to establish the identity, yet the same is not a proof of date of birth.

The apex court upheld the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) decision, which had determined the age of the deceased based on his school leaving certificate. The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by the relatives of a person who died in a road accident in 2015.