APAAR Scheme: Supreme Court assures parents it will pass order requiring CBSE to provide opt-out, refusal option
The Supreme Court of India has indicated it will mandate that the CBSE make the APAAR student ID scheme voluntary, following an Orissa High Court ruling. The court aims to ensure that parents have a clear 'opt-out' option to protect student privacy.
Why it matters
The ruling addresses growing concerns over the digital surveillance of minors and the mandatory collection of biometric data in educational institutions.
The Supreme Court agreed to clarify on Monday (July 20, 2026) that the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) implementation of the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) across India must be voluntary as per an Orissa High Court judgment of last year, which had directed a clear ‘opt-out/refusal option’ in the consent form.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant told petitioner-parents led by Abhishek Baxi, represented by senior advocate Indira Jaising and Paras Nath Singh, in open court that it would pass an order requiring the CBSE to comply with an Orissa High Court judgment of December 12, 2025. The High Court judgment in Rohit Anand Das versus State Of Odisha had directed the APAAR consent form to “include an opt out/refusal of consent option”.
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