ME News Bureau: New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sanctioned the Central Government’s submissions to extend the deadline to March 31, 2018, for linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and for availing numerous social welfare benefits.
The Constitution Bench also prolonged the deadline to link Aadhaar with mobile numbers to March 31, 2018, the earlier date for which was February 6.
The bench comprised five judges – Chief Justice Dipak Misra, and Justices Ashok Bhusan, AK Sikri, DY Chandrachud and AM Kanwilkar. It heard Attorney General KK Venugopal who appeared for the Centre, and a group of lawyers led by Gopal Subramanium, seeking stay of the notifications. It will hear the petition challenging Aadhaar scheme from January 17, 2018.
Justice Chandrachud, who wrote the unanimous interim order, stated that for opening new bank accounts without an Aadhaar number, the applicant needs to submit proof that he or she has applied for the unique identification card,
A nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court had recently held that Right to Privacy was a Fundamental Right under the Constitution. Numerous petitioners challenging the rationality of Aadhaar had claimed it desecrated privacy rights.
A few petitioners have dubbed the linking of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) number with bank accounts and mobile numbers as "illegal and unconstitutional", in the Supreme Court
As the hearing against the compulsory linking of Aadhaar to schemes started, the AG had informed the Supreme Court that the Government has decided to extend the deadline till March 31 for linking of Aadhaar with present bank accounts.
