New Delhi, In a significant policy shift aimed at curbing the misuse of identity documents, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have ruled that the Aadhaar card can no longer be accepted as standalone proof of date of birth or as the sole basis for issuing birth certificates.
The Uttar Pradesh Planning Department issued a notification on Friday stating: “No birth certificate is attached to the Aadhaar card; therefore, it cannot be considered a birth certificate.” The directive, signed by Special Secretary Amit Singh Bansal, has been circulated to all state departments with immediate effect.
Maharashtra’s Revenue Department has gone further, announcing that all birth certificates issued after after the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2023 came into force on 11 August 2023, solely on the strength of an Aadhaar card, will be cancelled. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has ordered the revocation of such certificates and instructed officials to initiate disciplinary action against officers responsible for issuing them.
A 16-point verification protocol issued by the Maharashtra Revenue Department requires suspended applications to be re-examined by district collectors or other competent authorities, with non-compliant entries to be deleted from the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal.
Officials in both states cited the need to prevent the creation of fraudulent birth and death records, which have reportedly been exploited for illegal immigration, identity fraud and other criminal purposes.
The move follows heightened scrutiny of identity documents in Uttar Pradesh, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last week ordered district magistrates to identify and deport illegal immigrants and establish temporary detention centres pending verification and repatriation.
The decisions come despite a recent Supreme Court ruling permitting Aadhaar as one of several acceptable identity proofs during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 12 states and union territories, including Uttar Pradesh. The final updated voter lists are scheduled for publication on 7 February 2026.
The exclusion of Aadhaar as proof of date of birth is expected to affect millions of citizens applying for passports, driving licences, school admissions and government schemes that require verified birth records. Applicants in the two states will now need to produce alternative documents such as municipal or hospital-issued birth certificates, school leaving certificates or, in certain cases, affidavits supported by other evidence.
Neither state government has announced a grace period or transitional arrangements, leaving registrars and citizens to adapt to the new requirements with immediate effect.
