Aadhar card won't be extended to more services for now, says SC

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to relax its order to allow voluntary use of Aadhar card for some welfare schemes at this stage.

The court further said that all pleas will be heard by the constitution bench.

The Centre and its various arms yesterday pitched strongly in the Supreme Court for voluntary use of Aadhar cards to provide benefits of various welfare schemes, other than PDS and LPG, at the doorsteps of the aged and weaker sections of society, which are the target groups.

However, the pleas for relaxation of the August 11 order restricting the use of Aadhar cards for PDS scheme and LPG distribution scheme, was opposed by those petitioners on whose PILs the apex court had said these cards will not be mandatory for availing benefits of welfare schemes.

A bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde and C Nagappan reserved its order for tomorrow on the pleas for relaxation, modification and clarification of its interim order by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), RBI, SEBI, IRDA, TRAI, Pension Fund Regulatory Authority and states like Gujarat and Jharkhand, among others.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi opened the arguments for UIDAI for lifting the bar on use of Aadhaar cards for various welfare schemes including Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojna. He was supported by Additional Solicitor Generals Tushar Mehta, P S Patwalia, Pinky Anand and senior advocates K K Venugopal, Jayant Bhushan who were appearing for various government organs and NGOs.

All of them were in agreement with the Attorney General that since the apex court had said Aadhar card was not mandatory, there should not be any problem in allowing it to be used on voluntarily basis to establish the identity of persons to make available the benefits of welfare scheme.

Rohatgi conceded that he may not have understood fully the scope of the UIDAI scheme or was not able to explain properly to the apex court the benefit of the Aadhaar cards which he has realised now after passing of the interim order.

"I don't want to be seen as blaming the court," he told the bench after explaining in detail the concept of the UIDAI number which is linked to various welfare schemes.

He said issue of privacy cannot be linked to the Aadhar card as the government is making efforts for those who cannot reach the court.

"I am for those who have to take benefits of MNREGA, pension schemes etc. How it is understood that somebody is snooping into someone's bedroom. I am not doing that and I am not a paparazzi," he said.

With Agency Inputs