The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of mandatory linking of Aadhaar to various schemes.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Wednesday said the matter will be heard at 2 p.m. on December 14 after the matter was mentioned for hearing before the court goes into winter recess.
The petitioners are pressing for an extension of interim relief on the mandatory linking of Aadhaar to various schemes, including bank accounts and mobile numbers.
The top court had on December 7 said that a Constitution bench will hear the various plea for interim relief on the mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and the Permanent Account Number (PAN).
While the linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and PAN can be extended by an administrative order, the mandatory linking of mobile numbers with Aadhaar would require an order from the top court as it was on its direction that mobile numbers were linked with Aadhaar.
The deadline for the linking of Aadhaar with mobile numbers is February 6.
Former Karnataka High Court Judge Justice K.S. Puttuswamy, Magsaysay awardee Shanta Sinha, feminist researcher Kalyani Sen Menon and many others have challenged the validity of Aadhaar Act on the grounds that it violates the fundamental right to privacy.
The government has already lifted the December 31 deadline for the linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and PAN.
Earlier the deadline for the linking of Aadhaar with PAN was August 31 which was extended till December 31 and now it has been further extended without any specific deadline.
--IANS
pk/vd
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