UP, Maharashtra withdraw Aadhaar as proof of birth; stricter verification rules rolled out

Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have both withdrawn the use of Aadhaar as proof of birth or date of birth. The governments of both states have rolled out fresh instructions that significantly tighten the documentation required for birth certificate issuance.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Planning Department has told all departments that Aadhaar cannot be treated as a birth certificate since it does not contain any record of a person’s birth details, as per a Times of India report. The directive, issued by Special Secretary Amit Singh Bansal, states that Aadhaar should not be accepted as valid proof of date of birth for any official purpose.

Maharashtra too has followed suit with an equally stringent order. The state’s Revenue Department has clarified that Aadhaar will no longer be accepted for processing delayed birth certificates. It has also noted that all certificates issued solely on the basis of Aadhaar after the enforcement of the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2023, will be cancelled. Officials who approved such certificates could face action, the notice has further warned.

A detailed 16-point verification framework has been circulated, directing that orders issued by Deputy Tehsildars after the August 2023 amendments to the Birth and Death Registration Act, 1969, be revoked and reverified by competent authorities or district collectors.