Aadhaar Card is Not Valid Proof for Age- The Supreme Court has set aside a ruling by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which accepted the age on an Aadhaar Card as proof in a motor accident compensation case. Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that the age of the deceased should be determined using the school leaving certificate, as per Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The case involved an appeal by the family of a man who died in a road accident in 2015. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) initially awarded a compensation of ₹19.35 lakh, which was reduced to ₹9.22 lakh by the High Court based on the age stated on the deceased’s Aadhaar Card. The Supreme Court ruled that school certificates, not Aadhaar Cards, should be used for calculating the age in such cases.
| Key Information | Details |
| Initial Compensation | ₹19.35 lakh |
| Reduced Compensation | ₹9.22 lakh |
| Deceased’s Age (as per Aadhaar) | 47 years |
| Deceased’s Age (as per School Certificate) | 45 years |
| Legal Reference | Section 94, Juvenile Justice Act |
| Judges | Justices Sanjay Karol & Ujjal Bhuyan |
Court’s Observation on Aadhaar Card as Age Proof
The bench highlighted that Aadhaar Cards, as stated in a 2023 circular by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), are valid for identity verification but not for determining date of birth. The Supreme Court upheld MACT’s decision, calculating the deceased’s age from the school certificate, which stated he was 45 years old, rather than 47 as per the Aadhaar Card.
🚨 Aadhaar card is not a valid document to determine age: Supreme Court of India. pic.twitter.com/tdPUcVqSfv
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Aadhaar Card is Not Valid Proof for Age- News Summary
- The Supreme Court rejected the use of Aadhaar Cards as age proof in motor accident cases.
- The decision came after the Punjab and Haryana High Court reduced compensation based on age determined by Aadhaar.
- The family of the deceased appealed, citing the school leaving certificate which confirmed the deceased’s correct age.
- The Court reaffirmed that the school leaving certificate holds statutory authority under Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
- A 2023 circular from UIDAI states that Aadhaar is not a valid document for proving date of birth.
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The Court stated that Aadhaar is only valid for identity verification, not for determining date of birth, as per a UIDAI circular.
A school leaving certificate is considered a valid document for age proof under Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The High Court reduced compensation by calculating the deceased’s age using the Aadhaar Card, which was deemed incorrect by the Supreme Court.
MACT initially awarded ₹19.35 lakh as compensation.
The Supreme Court determined the deceased’s age to be 45 years, based on the school certificate.
No, as per the Supreme Court ruling and UIDAI guidelines, Aadhaar cannot be used for verifying the date of birth.
Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 regulates the use of age-related documents.
