<h1>Aadhaar cannot be sole ID for government benefits, alternative documents must be accepted under Section 7</h1> The High Court ruled that Aadhaar cannot be the sole identification document for accessing government benefits and issued an interim order directing the state administration to accept alternative identification documents. The court's decision came in response to a public interest litigation challenging a state notification that made Aadhaar mandatory for government benefits. A division bench clarified that the Aadhaar Act does not mandate Aadhaar as the only form of identification for government schemes. The court referenced Section 7 of the Act, which provides that individuals without Aadhaar numbers must be offered alternate identification means for accessing subsidies, benefits, or services. The court directed that other valid documents like PAN cards, voter IDs, or passports must be accepted when Aadhaar is unavailable. This applies to various government schemes including educational scholarships for students. The bench emphasized that non-possession of Aadhaar would not disqualify individuals from receiving government benefits, while noting that the Act refers to 'residents' rather than 'citizens.'