$~174 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 19173/2025, CM APPL. 79828/2025, 79829/2025 MASTER ARJUN KHATRI THROUGH GUARDIAN AND FATHER ARUN KHATRI .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate along with Mr. Sahil Khurana, Ms. Anoushka Bhalla, Ms. Shelly Dixit, Ms. Tracy Sebistian and Ms. Nishtha Rawat, Advocates along with Petitioner No.2 in person.

versus UNIQUE IDENTIFICATIONAUTHORITY OF INDIA & ORS.

.....Respondents Through: Ms. Shraddha Deshmukh, Mr. Sanchit Singh and Mr. Sarthak Gupta, Advocates for R-1.

Mr. Abhinav Sharma and Mr.

Shubham, Advocates.

Mr. Parth Goswami, Advocate for R-3 (through VC).

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA

O R D E R

% 17.12.2025

1. The petitioner is a minor, aged about 13 years, studying in The Heritage School, Rohini, Delhi, affiliated to CBSE. The petitioner has filed the present petition, through his father.

2. The petitioner, being a talented hockey player, has been selected to represent Delhi in 69^th National School Games (Hockey U-14 Boys Championship 2025-26) to be held from 22.12.2025 to 27.12.2025.

3. It is submitted that the petitioner has submitted the requisite documents including (i) Certificate of Eligibility; (ii) Bonafide Certificate (both issued by his School); (iii) Birth Certificate issued by MCD, and (iv) Copy of Passport as Identity Proof issued by Government of India.

4. It is submitted that despite the petitioner submitting the requisite documents, during the training camp, the petitioner was additionally asked to provide his Aadhaar details. It is submitted that since the petitioner did not have Aadhaar issued in his name, he enrolled for Aadhaar on 06.12.2025 at the concerned Aadhar Centre vide Enrolment number 0811/07986/03477.

5. Attention is drawn to the fact that, in the relevant Circular dated 30.10.2025, issued by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), the list of relevant documents which are required to be given in support of eligibility are prescribed as under:

“(15) Eligibility:-

....

(b) Eligibility/Age Certificate: It is mandatory for all players to have AADHAAR No. /10th class mark sheet/ Date of Birth Certificate (should be issued minimum 5 years before), Official Entry & eligibility forms in new format duly signed/attested by the head of the institution/ principal & counter signature by the competent authority of State/Unit/UT. The team manager will be responsible for bringing the eligibility/birth certificate of the participants, which are to be handed over to the organizing committee. In tournament only official entry form signed by the competent authority of State/UT/Unit will be acceptable. In the lack of this signed official entry form, it is not possible to participate in the tournament & issue the merit/participation certificate.”

6. It is evident from the above that in terms of the aforesaid prescription, it is sufficient for an eligible sportsperson to have an ‘Aadhaar’ OR a ‘10^th Class Marksheet’ OR a ‘Date of Birth Certificate’.

7. The petitioner already has the requisite ‘Date of Birth Certificate’ which has already been submitted to the concerned authority. However, in contravention of the stipulation in Paragraph 15(B), Paragraph 19 of the same said Circular contemplates that a copy of Aadhaar is mandatorily required to be furnished by the petitioner.

8. Learned senior counsel for the petitioner submits that the same is ex-facie untenable as the purport of submission of the relevant documents is only to ascertain the age of the concerned child, which can be ascertained from the Birth Certificate of the child.

9. In the present case, there is no manner of doubt as to the date of birth of the concerned child as the same is evident from his Birth Certificate, as also from the requisite documents issued by the school of the petitioner.

10. It is further pointed out that the deadline for the purpose of submission of documents, in order to participate in the aforementioned 69^th National School Games, is about to expire.

11. In the