Aadhaar Card Not Mandatory, Supreme Court Rules

All India | Edited by Divyanshu Dutta Roy | Updated: August 11, 2015 15:35 IST
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The Supreme Court said the government will now have to publicise widely that the Aadhaar card was
not mandatory.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today said that the Aadhaar unique identity system will
not be compulsory for Indian citizens to benefit from government services.
Hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the Aadhaar as a compulsory system to receive
government subsidies and services, a constitution bench of the top court ruled against the
government. The government had contended that the biometric-based system of unique
identification was an essential tool to ensure transparency in its services.
Rejecting the government's plea, the Supreme Court said it will now have to publicise widely
that the Aadhaar card was not mandatory. It also ruled that no authority shall seek Aadhaar
cards from citizens to accord any services. However, on the discretion of the card-owner, it
can be used for availing the subsidies in the public distribution system, gas cylinders and
purchasing kerosene. The biometric data collected by the Unique Identification Authority of
India cannot be used for any other purpose except in criminal investigations with the
permission of the court, the judges.said. Amid concerns of private contractors hired for
collecting biometric data, the court said the data will have to be safely retained only by the
government.
The use of the Aadhaar as a mandatory system by several states and the Centre had been
challenged in the court by retired High Court Judge K Puttasaamy the Centre for Public
Interest Litigation.

http://www.uidaadharcard.com/2015/05/is-aadhar-cardcompulsory.html
Supreme Court Strictly instruct the Central Government and
States not to insist Indian Residents for Aadhar Card
On 17th March 2015, Supreme Court clearly confirmed all the centre and States not to insist on
AADHAR card as it will be the adherence of Supreme Court provisional order on 23rd September
2013.

The Supreme Court bench was of Justices J. Chelameswar, C. Nagappan, and S.A. Bobde has
decided not to make AADHAR card compulsory for the residents of India for contributing social
security upshot to citizens and insisting for AADHAR card registration is a violation of provisional order
of Supreme Court in 23rd September 2013.

No Compulsion in LPG Gas Connection and Marriage Registration

As state governments have made the AADHAR card compulsory for the citizens to get subsidies on
LPG gas connections and also to get their marriage registration along with the banks were asking for
the AADHAR card for KYC formalities which are now abandoned by Supreme Court in respect of
making AADHAR card compulsory.

Supreme Court Instructions to Central Government

The Supreme Court bench has clearly criticize the central government to not follow their order to not
make AADHAR card compulsory saying Its your duty and responsibility to ensure our orders are
followed and it is not any justification of rule adherence that States are now following our orders.