Supreme Court seeks Government response on plea against use of Aadhaar as citizenship proof

📌 Summary:

• The Supreme Court issued notice on a PIL against the alleged use of Aadhaar as proof of citizenship and age
• A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana sought responses from the Centre, states, UTs, the Election Commission and UIDAI
• The plea (Adv. Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay) cites Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act 2016, which states Aadhaar is "not evidence of citizenship or domicile"
• A UIDAI notification dated 22.08.2023 affirms Aadhaar is proof of identity, not of citizenship, address or date of birth
• The SC and various High Courts have previously held Aadhaar is not proof of age

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 Polity — Aadhaar Act, judicial review (PIL), identity vs citizenship, electoral roll integrity

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Section 9, Aadhaar Act 2016 — Aadhaar not proof of citizenship/domicile
• UIDAI issues Aadhaar; clarifying notification dated 22.08.2023
• PIL heard by a bench led by CJI Surya Kant

🔑 Key Term: Aadhaar — 12-digit unique identity number issued by UIDAI; statutorily a proof of identity only.