The governments of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have officially announced that Aadhaar cards will no longer be accepted as a birth certificate or as valid proof of date of birth. Both states have instructed their departments to stop treating Aadhaar as a birth record, stressing that it only provides basic identity information and does not contain hospital or government-issued birth details.
Because of this change, all birth certificates issued after the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2023, using Aadhaar as the sole proof of birth, will reportedly be cancelled. Officials have been told to verify such cases again and revoke documents that were incorrectly issued.
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Maharashtra has gone a step further by introducing a 16-point verification system for all birth-related documents. The Revenue Department has said that the orders passed by deputy tehsildars after the August 2023 amendment must now be withdrawn and rechecked by competent authorities or the district collector. The state has also asked for action against officers who issued certificates using only Aadhaar.
Meanwhile, ANI reported that Uttar Pradesh’s Planning Department has clarified that Aadhaar cannot be treated as a birth certificate. The order, issued by Amit Singh Bansal, special secretary in the Planning Department, says that no birth-related document is attached to Aadhaar, making it legally insufficient as proof.
Why now?
The policy shift comes as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed officials to take strict action against illegal immigrants. He has emphasised that “maintaining law and order, national security, and social harmony” is the government’s top priority. All districts have been directed to identify illegal immigrants and act according to the rules. Temporary detention centres will be set up in each district to keep foreigners until verification is completed, after which those found to be illegal immigrants will be deported following due procedure.
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Given Uttar Pradesh’s open border with Nepal, which allows unrestricted movement for citizens of both countries, officials say enhanced scrutiny and more reliable birth documentation have become essential. This is one of the key reasons why Aadhaar is no longer considered acceptable proof of birth.
Interestingly, this decision comes months after the Supreme Court allowed Aadhaar to be used for identity verification for a completely different purpose. In September, the Court directed the Election Commission to treat the Aadhaar card as a 12th identity document for inclusion in the updated voters’ list of Bihar.
