The Orissa High Court has directed the government to amend consent forms under the Education Ministry's APAAR ID scheme. The forms currently do not allow parents to refuse consent before giving it. A bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra said this violates parents' privacy rights. The court heard a petition from a Bhubaneswar student and his parents, who argued the consent forms give no upfront option to opt out of sharing Aadhaar-linked details. They noted a clause allowing withdrawal of consent anytime, but the court said "withdrawal" after consent is not real choice. The court added, "The model consent form does not appear to have been happily worded... If it is intended to be a voluntary act, appropriate provisions clearly specifying such fact ought to have been incorporated." The petitioners shared a model form with an initial opt-out option, which the court asked the state to consider. The APAAR ID scheme aims to give every school student a unique 12-digit ID tied to Aadhaar, to record academic data. The forms also say personal info like name, age, and photo may be shared with various agencies, which the petitioners said violates privacy. Advocate Abhishek Jebraj called the ruling a big step for children’s privacy in India, praising it for upholding the Supreme Court's landmark Puttaswamy judgment on privacy rights. The High Court will review the issue after two months to issue further orders.