What’s wrong if Aadhaar used for welfare, asks SC

HEARING BEGINS Petitioners say UID will tether Indians to a leash

NEW DELHI: Is there anything wrong in using Aadhaar to increase the efficiency of government welfare schemes? That was the substance of questions posed by two judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI), on Wednesday as a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court began hearing pleas against the unique identification number in one of the most keenly watched cases of recent times.

To be sure, the questions were more in the nature of observations, and these do not necessarily have any bearing on the judgment itself, although they do reflect the line of thinking on the bench.

The petitioners opposing Aadhaar said the National Democratic Alliance’s government’s It is a giant electronic mesh

It will enable the state to profile citizens, track their movements, assess their habits and stifle dissent and influence political decision-making

It is a ‘switch’ which can cause the civil death of an individual

Direct government to give an option to people to opt out and delete data

No electronic trail should be maintained

Benefits must not be withheld if citizen does not have Aadhaar or does not wish to use it

ambitious biometric-driven “project sought to tether every resident of India to an electronic leash”.

“The state may say all we are trying to do is ensure that money is going where it ought to. If you are depending on social welfare benefits, equally states have

countervailing i nterests to ensure that they reach the right people,” Justice DY Chandrachud said.

The five-judge Constitution bench is hearing 28 petitions challenging Aadhaar’s legal validity.