Shillong (Meghalaya), July 21: The High Court of Meghalaya has issued an interim order in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the requirement of Aadhaar for availing benefits of the Fees Compensation for Post Matric Scholarship for SC/ST students. The court balanced the need for identification with the rights of eligible individuals without Aadhaar.
The PIL No.6/2025 was heard today. July 21, 2025, by a bench comprising Justice I.P. Mukerji, Chief Justice, and Justice W. Diengdoh, Judge. The petitioner argued that insisting on Aadhaar for SC/ST benefits contradicted Supreme Court judgments in K.S. Puttaswamy (Retired) & Union of India & ors.
The court noted that the Aadhaar Act allows for alternate means of identification if an Aadhaar number isn’t assigned. Thus, as an interim order, the State Government can insist on Aadhaar for speedy identification but must allow alternatives like pan card, voter card, or passport if Aadhaar isn’t available. Non-possession of Aadhaar won’t be a disqualification.
The matter will be examined further considering the Aadhaar Act and Supreme Court judgments. The interim order will continue until the next hearing on Aug 12.
