The Supreme Court has decided to make an opt-out option for the APAAR ID mandatory for all CBSE students across India. This follows a previous Orissa High Court ruling aimed at strengthening parental consent and data privacy for the national student identification system. The move ensures that families have the right to refuse the digital identifier without affecting access to education.
The Supreme Court of India announced on Monday that it will mandate the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to revise its consent forms for the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID. This directive ensures that parents nationwide have a clear, explicit choice to refuse consent or opt out of the student identification system. The court's decision follows an earlier judgment by the Orissa High Court in December 2025, which the Central government did not challenge.
Impact on Digital Data Privacy
The APAAR initiative, launched under the National Education Policy 2020, is designed to serve as a lifelong academic identifier for students across India. However, the legal challenge focused on the structure of the consent forms. Petitioners argued that the existing process lacked a transparent opt-out mechanism, effectively functioning as a mandatory agreement. The Supreme Court emphasized that even if the scheme serves beneficial purposes for educational planning, it must remain fully compliant with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023. By requiring an explicit opt-out, the court aims to ensure that parents retain control over their children’s digital footprint within the academic registry.
Legal Context and Aadhaar Linkage
A significant part of the debate involves the connection between APAAR and Aadhaar. Petitioners, represented by senior advocate Indira Jaising, raised concerns that the APAAR ID process indirectly mandates Aadhaar linkage. The argument brought before the court is that if students are required to have an APAAR ID to sit for examinations or access educational benefits, and that ID necessitates an Aadhaar number, then the system essentially bypasses the voluntary nature of Aadhaar. The Supreme Court’s focus remains on protecting the fundamental right to education and ensuring that access to schools is not conditioned upon the possession of specific identity documents.
Future Compliance for CBSE
For CBSE and the broader education sector, this order marks a change in how digital student services are implemented. The board will now be required to modify its registration and consent workflows to align with these legal standards. While the APAAR scheme continues to be a key element of the government's digital infrastructure for students, the focus will now shift toward how educational institutions implement these consent mechanisms. Parents and students should look for updated communication from schools regarding the revised consent forms and the clear availability of the opt-out option in upcoming academic sessions.