With the CBSE earlier making examination eligibility cumbersome by announcing Aadhaar to be a mandatory document, the Supreme Court yesterday recorded the statement of Attorey General KK Venugopal, confirming that Aadhaar WILL NOT BE compulsory for appearing in any national level competitive examinations, including NEET (National Eligilibity cum Entrance Test).

The Apex Courts five-judge Constitution bench had examined the validity of the UID scheme, and recorded the AG’s statement that students will be allowed to appear for any entrance examination after providing other acceptable ID proofs, including Ration Card, valid Passport, Driving Licence, Voter ID or Bank Passbooks.

Earlier, the CBSE had made Aadhaar mandatory for filing NEET applications, exempting the states of Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu Kashmir. NEET is the new entrance examination for aspiring medical students.

The Apex Court has also asked the Centre to extend the March 31 deadline of linking Aadhaar with Mobile numbers and Bank accounts, arguing that it would lead to uncertainity and confusion at the financial year end.