New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said a plea challenging Aadhaar Act and mandatory use of the unique identification number in at least 17 government schemes will be heard on 17 May.
A bench headed by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said that the case could be heard by a smaller bench, considering the urgency of the issue.
Last week, justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan had referred the case to a larger Constitution bench since such a bench had passed interim orders in 2015.
Child rights activist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Shanta Sinha has moved the apex court arguing that some of the schemes for which Aadhaar is mandatory fall outside the purview of the Aadhaar law.
In August 2015, a three-judge bench referred the issue of whether an Indian citizen enjoys a fundamental right to privacy to a larger Constitution bench. After 18 months, the bench is yet to be constituted.