India's Ministry of Education has revised the parental consent form for the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) following a December 2025 Odisha High Court ruling. The court found the previous form did not allow parents to refuse consent, conflicting with the scheme's voluntary nature and the right to privacy. The updated form now includes two consent boxes instead of one, addressing the court's concerns, medianama.com reported.
The court case, Rohit Anand Das v. State of Odisha, challenged the original consent form's design, which effectively forced parental agreement. APAAR assigns students unique identifiers linked to DigiLocker accounts, authenticated via Aadhaar, creating lifelong digital academic records. The Ministry's revised form aims to align with this framework while complying with the court's directive to respect voluntary participation and privacy rights, according to medianama.com.
This revision is significant as APAAR operates under a Supreme Court order applying the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) from July 2026, which prohibits tracking and behavioral monitoring of children. The form's handling of data sharing with private recruitment agencies raises legal questions, as the current consent architecture predates these regulations. The Ministry must clarify whether parental consent on the form lawfully permits such disclosures, medianama.com noted.
APAAR is currently enrolling students under the revised consent form, with the Ministry required to address outstanding legal issues, including compliance with Section 9 of the DPDPA, before May 2027. The ongoing implementation reflects judicial and regulatory scrutiny of student data privacy in India, medianama.com stated.