SC to hear petitions challenging Aadhaar link to social schemes

New Delhi The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to accord an early hearing to petitions that have challenged the Centre’s decision to make Aadhaar number mandatory for social welfare schemes.

The petitioners want the top court to determine whether the government notifications declaring Aadhaar necessary to avail subsidy benefits violated SC’s 2015 order holding it was not mandatory for a citizen to obtain the 12-digit unique identification number. The court had also ordered the government to not deny benefits for want of Aadhaar.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan made an urgent mentioning before a bench led by Chief Justice JS Khehar who agreed to hear the counsel on May 17.

“Despite the order of this court that Aadhaar will be voluntary and not mandatory, the government has been coming out with a series of notifications making it

THE PETITIONERS WANT THE SC TO DETERMINE WHETHER GOVT DECLARING AADHAAR MUST TO AVAIL BENEFITS OF SUBSIDIES VIOLATED THE 2015 ORDER

mandatory to avail benefits of schemes such as scholarships, Right to Food and mid-day meal in schools,” said Divan, appearing for Shanta Sinha, former chairperson of National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), one of the petitioners in the Aadhaar matter.

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, objected to Divan’s request, saying some interim orders allowing Aadhaar have been passed by a five-judge bench and it would not be appropriate to list the matter before two judges. He informed the bench that the Centre had come out with a new law to accord a legislative backing to the scheme.