West Bengal government challenges Aadhaar-for-benefits
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Oct 27, 2017, 11.41 PM IST
The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre’s Aadhaar scheme, which makes it mandatory for all citizens to have the unique identification number to avail themselves of any government social security benefit schemes.
The plea will be heard on Monday by a bench comprising justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan along with another petition filed by social activist Raghav Tankha challenging the linking of Aadhaar with mobile phones. The West Bengal petition has challenged the central decision to link Aadhaar to social welfare schemes, Trinamool Congress leader and advocate Kalyan Banerjee told ET.
He refused to comment on whether the state government would challenge other aspects of Aadhaar, such as compulsory seeding to bank accounts, permanent account number or PAN and mobile phone connections. Banerjee had on Thursday vowed not to link her mobile phone connection with Aadhaar at any cost. She said that she would not do so even if her connection were to be snapped because of this by the service provider.
The central government had issued a notification in March asking the service providers to ensure that Aadhaar was linked to connections by December 31, 2017. It had justified the notification saying that it was only obeying a court decision to issue mobile SIMs to those whose identity can be verified to ensure that these are not misused to target national security. The central government has since hinted at a rethink on this count – identity verification may be done through alternate proof such as driving licences, etc.
The West Bengal government has all along been highly critical of the mandatory nature of the Aadhaar scheme. The CM has termed the scheme “authoritarian”. “The central government is interfering with people’s rights and privacy,” she had said at a party meeting a few days ago.
In its petition filed in the top court, the state government argued that the central government cannot insist on Aadhaar for providing social welfare schemes as it would affect millions of poor people in the country.
It would especially affect lakhs of poor people in the state who are dependent on MNREGA, PDS rations and other such benefits.
The plea will be heard on Monday by a bench comprising justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan along with another petition filed by social activist Raghav Tankha challenging the linking of Aadhaar with mobile phones. The West Bengal petition has challenged the central decision to link Aadhaar to social welfare schemes, Trinamool Congress leader and advocate Kalyan Banerjee told ET.
He refused to comment on whether the state government would challenge other aspects of Aadhaar, such as compulsory seeding to bank accounts, permanent account number or PAN and mobile phone connections. Banerjee had on Thursday vowed not to link her mobile phone connection with Aadhaar at any cost. She said that she would not do so even if her connection were to be snapped because of this by the service provider.
The central government had issued a notification in March asking the service providers to ensure that Aadhaar was linked to connections by December 31, 2017. It had justified the notification saying that it was only obeying a court decision to issue mobile SIMs to those whose identity can be verified to ensure that these are not misused to target national security. The central government has since hinted at a rethink on this count – identity verification may be done through alternate proof such as driving licences, etc.
The West Bengal government has all along been highly critical of the mandatory nature of the Aadhaar scheme. The CM has termed the scheme “authoritarian”. “The central government is interfering with people’s rights and privacy,” she had said at a party meeting a few days ago.
In its petition filed in the top court, the state government argued that the central government cannot insist on Aadhaar for providing social welfare schemes as it would affect millions of poor people in the country.
It would especially affect lakhs of poor people in the state who are dependent on MNREGA, PDS rations and other such benefits.
