A day after reports on Aadhaar officials asking for documents from 127 people in Hyderabad creating flutter, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said that Aadhaar has got nothing to do with citizenship.

Stating that the Supreme Court has asked the government not to assign Aadhaar numbers to illegal immigrants, the UIDAI said it issued the notices after the local police pointed out that they were illegal immigrants and that they were ineligible to obtain Aadhaar number.

In a series of tweets, the UIDAI said that Aadhaar numbers can be cancelled if discrepancies were found.

These 127 people were asked to depose before the officials on February 20 and provide relevant documents to substantiate their claims. It, however, has been deferred to May, 2020.

The reports created a flutter on Tuesday, with activists raising concerns in the backdrop of the Union Government’s moves over Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens.

The UIDAI issued an explanatory statement. “Our regional office in Hyderabad served notices asking them to appear in person and to substantiate their claims for getting an Aadhaar number,” it said.

“Severe errors like forged documents will lead to appropriate actions, including suspension and cancellation of Aadhaar numbers. These notices have nothing to do with citizenship and cancellation of Aadhaar number is in no way related to the nationality of any resident,” it clarified.

Controversial paragraph

However, one of the notices asked the recipient to appear with “all the necessary documents in original to prove all your claims of citizenship and if your are not an Indian national, to prove that you have entered India legally and your stay is valid.”

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