The Supreme Court announced citizens do not have to link their Aadhaar card to a number of services previously made mandatory. The Apex Court ruled that for now it is not mandatory to link the Aadhaar to phone numbers and bank accounts.
But the Court stated the biometric ID is required for citizens in need of social welfare schemes and subsidies. It will not be mandatory until the Court makes a decision on whether the 12 digit ID card will be made necessary for all private and public services.
In 2009, India launched Aadhaar which is now the world’s biggest biometric database to reduce public spending and streamline welfare payments. The Modi Government is keen on making the Aadhaar card mandatory.
The deadline to link Aadhaar to phone numbers and bank accounts was 31st of March. But the Apex Court’s announcement pushes the deadline till the Court decides if mandatory Aadhaar is a violation of Right to Privacy. Last year in a historic verdict the Supreme Court announced the Right to Privacy as a Fundamental Right. This gave anti Aadhaar citizens a platform to base their case on not making the ID card necessary.
Read More: Everything to Know About Supreme Court’s Hearing on Individual Privacy
