The Supreme Court of India has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, to follow a ruling from the Orissa High Court. This ruling is about the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, APAAR, which creates a special ID number for students. Because of this order, schools across India must now give parents the choice to refuse or "opt out" of the APAAR system. The Supreme Court decided this because the government did not object to the original High Court ruling, so it should apply nationwide.
Why Parents Went to Court
The legal case was started by the parents of four students. They argued that even though the government says the APAAR system is "voluntary," it actually forces students to get an Aadhaar card just to receive an APAAR ID. The lawyer for the parents, explained that students are basically being forced into a system they didn't ask for. She pointed out that the right to education is a fundamental constitutional right. She argued that if a child has to provide an Aadhaar card or an APAAR ID just to be allowed to sit for their exams is not fair and goes against the constitution.
What the Orissa High Court Had Ruled
The Supreme Court directed the CBSE to implement an Orissa High Court ruling nationwide, giving parents the option to opt for the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID scheme. The court noted that since the Centre did not challenge the December 2025 judgment, it must be applied across India.
It follows a parental petition arguing that the scheme introduced under the National Education Policy, NEP 2020 to assign students a unique 12-digit digital ID indirectly forces them to obtain Aadhaar cards for exams.
What is the APAAR system?
APAAR is a new student identification system launched by the Ministry of Education under the National Education Policy 2020. Every student receives a unique 12-digit number that stays with them throughout their entire time in school and college. The government created this system for several reasons:
- Academic Tracking: To keep a lifelong digital record of a student’s grades, certificates, and achievements.
- Easy Transfers: To make it easier for records to move with the student when they switch schools or colleges.
- Less Paperwork: To reduce the amount of paper work, documents to prevent records from being copied or lost.
- Better Planning: To help the government manage education data more correctly for better planning.
