Fresh petition in SC against govt mandate

As telecom companies continue to hound users with messages to link their numbers with Aadhaar, a fresh petition has been moved before the Supreme Court challenging the government’s mandate to link Aadhaar with mobile number.

The petition filed by activist Kalyani Menon has also challenged the government’s rule that makes it mandatory for everyone to link their bank account with Aadhaar number.

Menon’s petition challenges a March 2017 circular issued by the department of telecommunication making it mandatory for all mobile phone holders to link their mobile phone numbers with Aadhaar.

Pursuant to the circular, telecom companies have been bombarding customers with SMS alerts and tele-calls asking them to link their mobile number with Aadhaar to avoid disconnection.

“It is submitted that the impugned circular also violates the fundamental rights and constitutional rights of persons, by requiring any mobile subscriber to link their mobile phone number with Aadhaar number as part of e-KYC requirement,” the petition said.

Her petition also challenged Rule 2(b) of the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.

According to the provision, submission of Aadhaar number has been made mandatory for individual account holders, companies, partnership firms and trusts for opening of bank accounts, maintaining existing bank accounts and making any financial transactions of and above ₹50,000.

Calling his one-and-ahalf-year-old cleft-lipped daughter ugly, a man allegedly tried to kill her with the help of his mother and brother in Morena district on Saturday.

The girl’s mother, Jyoti, saved the child and lodged a police complaint against her husband Shivnarayan Kushwaha, mother-inlaw and brother-in-law on Sunday morning.

A resident of Porsa in Morena, 22-year-old Jyoti gave birth to a girl with a cleft lip. Her husband asked her to kill the baby or abandon her as she was “ugly and had no future”.

“My family members, including my husband, never took my daughter in their lap. They always forced me to end her life, saying she looked bad and nobody would marry her. They used to beat me up and harass me. I never left my baby alone with them” said Jyoti.

She added, “My husband threatened me that if I don’t do what he says, he will divorce me. I had no option but to approach the police.” SHRUTI TOMAR

NEWDELHI: BHOPAL: