CONSTITUTION BENCH TO HEAR PLEAS AGAINST AADHAAR
A Constitution Bench would be set up to hear a clutch of petitions challenging the Cent re’ s decision to make A ad ha ar mandatory for availing of various services and government welfare schemes, the Supreme Court said on Monday. A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandra chud, said the larger bench would commence hearing on these petition sin the last week of November.
AConstitution Bench would be set up to hear a clutch of petitions, challenging the Centre’s decision to make the Aadhaar (the citizen identification) mandatory for availing various services and government welfare schemes, the Supreme Court said on Monday.
A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and judges A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said the larger bench would commence hearing on these petitions in the last week of November this year.
Recently, a nine-judge Constitution bench had held the right to privacy was a fundamental right under the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging the validity of Aadhaar had raised the issue that the scheme was violative of privacy rights.
Advocates Gopal Subramanium and Shyam Divan, appearing for those opposing the Aadhaar scheme, had sought urgent hearing on the petitions.
The Centre had on October 25 told the apex court that the deadline formandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail the benefits of the government schemes has been extended till March 31 next year for those who do not have the 12-digit biometric identification number and were willing to have it.
The petitioners had termed the linking of the Unique Identification Authority of India number with bank accounts and mobile numbers as illegal and unconstitutional and strongly objected to the Central Board of Secondary Education’s move to make it mandatory for students to appear for examinations.
Divan, appearing for some petitioners, hadearliercontended that final hearing in the main Aadhaar matter, which is pending before the apex court, was necessary as the government “cannot compel” citizens to link their Aadhaar with either bank accounts or mobile numbers.