SC's constitution bench to consider plea against Aadhaar linkage

The Supreme Court's constitution bench would on Thursday consider a plea for passing interim orders on the government's direction to link Aadhaar to bank accounts, mobile phones and to other welfare schemes.

A five-judge bench presided by Chief Justice Dipak Misra would take up the matter on long-pending plea by a batch of petitioners led by former Karnataka High Court judge Justice K S Puttaswamy, to restrain the government from making it mandatory for the citizens.

On mentioning made by senior advocate Shyam Divan and Attorney General K K Venugopal, the bench said, we will consider the issue on Thursday.

The court's causelist showed as many as 28 separate PILs listed for hearing before the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan.

The Union government has stoutly defended the Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, by which the Aadhar card is now issued to ensure that various beneficial schemes filter down to persons for whom such schemes are intended.

The apex court's nine bench decision on August 24 declaring the right to privacy as a fundamental right has fortified the contention by Aadhaar challengers, who claimed that the citizens were being forced to part with their finger prints and iris details.

The Centre, for its part, has said it was ready to extend deadline for linking of Aadhaar to avail welfare schemes till March 31.