The Assam administration announced on Thursday that it will cease the issuance of Aadhaar cards to adults in the state as a measure to combat fraudulent registrations of alleged infiltrators.

This ban will not affect individuals from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and tea garden communities for a period of one year.

Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit identification number provided to Indian residents by the Unique Identification Authority of India.

According to a statement from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Public Relations Cell, the state Cabinet approved a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Aadhaar enrolments earlier in the day.

“The SOP is essential to prevent infiltrators from obtaining Aadhaar illegally,” the statement noted. “District Commissioners will have the authority to permit Aadhaar enrolment for citizens over 18 years in exceptional cases.”

It was further clarified that the one-year exemption for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and tea garden communities would allow their Aadhaar enrolment to be completed within that timeframe.

Later, Sarma informed the media that individuals outside these designated groups who have not yet received their Aadhaar can apply until September. “We will maintain a one-month window for this purpose,” he stated.

“Post-deadline, if someone applies under rare circumstances, the SDC or circle officer will not be authorized to issue it,” he explained. “Only the district commissioner will hold that power, and they must secure a report from the SB and foreign tribunals before issuing Aadhaar.”

The chief minister indicated that this restriction would take effect from October 1, as reported by a local news outlet.

He also mentioned that Assam's Aadhaar saturation rate is at 103%, but only 96% among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and tea garden communities.

“This indicates that no citizen over 18 years is without Aadhaar, except for those in the aforementioned communities,” the BJP leader added. “Everyone else has already received their cards.”

Sarma emphasized that the state government has been actively repelling Bangladeshi nationals at the border.

“We aim to ensure that no one can acquire an Aadhaar card in Assam by entering the state and claiming to be an Indian citizen,” he asserted. “We have effectively closed that avenue.”

This announcement comes amid reports of individuals being deported to Bangladesh after failing to prove their Indian citizenship. In some instances, those mistakenly sent to Bangladesh have returned after Indian authorities verified their citizenship.

The issue is currently under review by the Supreme Court, following a petition from the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board.

In September 2024, Sarma had also declared that the issuance of Aadhaar numbers would be “strictly regulated in Assam.”

“Only applicants who have applied for inclusion in the NRC [National Register of Citizens] can obtain Aadhaar, regardless of their NRC status,” he stated. “This will ensure that no suspected foreigners can access Aadhaar cards in Assam, thereby curbing the influx of illegal immigrants.”

The NRC was updated in Assam in 2019 after an extensive review of ancestral family documents aimed at identifying “illegal immigrants,” resulting in 19 lakh residents being excluded. However, the updated list has yet to be officially notified six years later.

Nonetheless, legal experts and activists have argued that the Assam government lacks the authority to impose the NRC as a prerequisite for Aadhaar.