Aadhaar Card Can Be Considered As Proof Of Age: Delhi HC , Disagrees With Madras HC

Proof of Age: The Rule does not require, either expressly or by necessary implication, that the date of birth of the person should figure on the body of the said document, the bench observed.The Delhi High Court has held that Aadhaar card can be considered as a proof of age for the purpose of Rule 7 of the Juvenile Justice Rules.A bench of Justice SP Garg and Justice C Hari Shankar. Proof of Age: The Rule does not require, either expressly or by necessary implication, that the date of birth of the person should figure on the body of the said document, the bench observed. A bench of Justice SP Garg and Justice C Hari Shankar disagreed with the Madras High Court view that Aadhaar card could not satisfy the requisites of Rule 7 of the JJ Rules, as proof of age of the holder thereof, as it did not mention the date of birth, and mentioned, instead, the age in years. Indeed, when the document mentions the age itself, no better proof could be sought, for ascertaining the age of the person concerned.” The bench further said in Rule 12 of the JJ Rules, following certificates: the matriculation, or equivalent, certificate, the date of birth as recorded by the school first attended, and the certificate of birth, given by a Corporation, municipal authority, or panchayat, are accepted as proof of age and no specified format, for these certificates, is prescribed in the Rules.