Aadhaar Card Can't Be Made Mandatory For SC/ST Students To Avail Post-Matric Scholarships: Meghalaya High Court

The Meghalaya High Court has barred the State government from insisting on production of Aadhaar card as a mandatory pre-condition for students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) category to avail post-matric scholarships and other financial assistance. It further directed that upon proof of identity and residence from any other authentic document, the eligible students must be given the benefits.A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice W. Diengdoh was hearing a PIL impugning a notification dated 31.10.2023 whereby the State insisted the SC/ST students, who are ineligible under the Union Government's post-matric scholarship scheme as well as other scholarship schemes and desirous of availing financial assistance of State, to furnish the Aadhaar number or to undergo Aadhaar authentication.The petitioner cited a press release issued by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India which clarified that individuals residing, inter alia, in the State of Meghalaya are exempted from the requirement of Aadhaar card and thus, the Aadhaar authentication is not mandatory for the citizens of the State. It was submitted that notwithstanding the exemption and despite of an RTI response reiterating such exempted status, the Secretary of the Education Department issued the impugned notification mandating the students to obtain Aadhaar card in order to receive financial aid. The petitioner vehemently contended that such precondition falls afoul of the observations made by the Apex Court in a series of orders made in Justice (Retd.) K.S. Puttaswamy & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.The Court examined the aforesaid notification against the backdrop of the rulings of the Supreme Court in K.S. Puttaswamy (2018). While considering the desirability to cover minor children under the purview of Sections 7 and 8 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, the top Court had made it clear that no child shall be denied benefit of any scheme if she is unable to produce the Aadhaar number and the said benefit shall be given by verifying the identity on the basis of any other documents.Having regard for the law laid down by the highest Court, the High Court remarked –“The children who are now to be benefitted under the scheme had already enrolled themselves in the schools and they would now be pursuing their higher secondary i.e. to say Class-XI and Class-XII. If the students had already furnished the required details to establish their authenticity at the time of their admission and matriculations if for some reasons, they are unable to produce the Aadhaar number in terms of paragraph 512.6, they cannot be denied the benefit of the scheme.”Accordingly, the authorities were directed not to insist upon the production of Aadhaar card to provide financial assistance to SC/ST students up to post-matriculation level.“In view of the above, the notification as far as it insists the production of Aadhaar card shall not be applicable to the SC/ST students of the State up to the post-matriculation level [up to the age of 18 years] for the post-matric scholarship scheme. However, the candidate would be required to prove his identity as a resident including birth certificate and any other reliable authenticated documents if called for by the authorities in processing their claim for scholarship.”Case Title: Greneth M. Sangma v. The Union of India & Ors.Case No: PIL No. 06 of 2025Date of Order: October 29, 2025Counsel for the Petitioner: Mr. P.T. Sangma, AdvocateCounsel for the Respondents: Dr. N. Mozika, Dy. Solicitor General of India with Ms. K. Gurung, Advocate & Ms. R. Colney, Govt. AdvocateClick Here To Read/Download Order

Aadhaar Card Can't Be Made Mandatory For SC/ST Students To Avail Post-Matric Scholarships: Meghalaya High Court

Jyoti Prakash Dutta

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