Consider the following statements: 1) Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile. 2) Once issued, Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is D, neither statement is correct.

Statement 1 is false. Aadhaar is a proof of identity and, for some purposes, of address. Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 says that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship or domicile. Citizenship is a matter for the Citizenship Act, 1955, and domicile is a state-level determination.

Statement 2 is false. The UIDAI can deactivate or omit an Aadhaar number. This covers duplicate enrolments, numbers obtained by fraud, and cases where the holder is found to be ineligible or the number has been misused. The Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations and the Aadhaar Act's provisions on cancellation and omission allow this. The idea that a number is permanent is a common misreading.

Core concept: the legal scope of Aadhaar as an identity instrument, which ties into the Puttaswamy judgment (2018) on privacy, Aadhaar's limits, and the debate on welfare delivery versus exclusion. This is a useful Mains angle on the governance of digital identity.

Trap: aspirants often take Aadhaar as a universal identity document and assume it proves citizenship, or assume that a number is permanent once issued.