A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking major changes to how Aadhaar cards are issued in the country.

The plea, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, asks the Court to direct authorities to issue Aadhaar cards only to children up to the age of six. For individuals above that age, it proposes that Aadhaar should be issued only through offices like the Sub-Divisional Magistrate or Tehsildar with stricter verification.

The petition also seeks directions to the Unique Identification Authority of India to frame tighter guidelines for issuing Aadhaar to adolescents and adults. According to the petitioner, this is necessary to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Aadhaar and posing as Indian citizens.

It further asks for display boards at Aadhaar centres clearly stating that Aadhaar is only a proof of identity and not proof of citizenship, address, or date of birth. The plea also calls for strict punishment for those who obtain Aadhaar or other government documents using false information, and suggests that such sentences should run consecutively.

The petitioner argues that weak verification processes allow infiltrators to obtain Aadhaar under the “Indian citizen” category and then use it to secure other documents like ration cards, domicile certificates, and driving licences. This, the plea claims, affects genuine citizens and enables misuse of welfare schemes.

The petition also raises concerns about the situation in border and tribal regions, especially in the North-East, where such alleged misuse could impact local populations. It points out that under the current law, Aadhaar is issued to any “resident,” which, according to the petitioner, creates a loophole.

Citing data, the plea states that over 144 crore Aadhaar numbers have already been generated, suggesting that most citizens are already covered and that Aadhaar issuance should now be limited mainly to newborns.

The matter is yet to be taken up for hearing.