New Delhi: The deadline for linking Aadhaar can be extended to March 31 for all financial institutions and welfare schemes, the government told the Supreme Court today. The court is hearing a number of petitions that have challenged the validity of the 12-digit Unique Identification Number and the government's move to make it mandatory. The five-judge bench which is hearing the case said it would pass an interim order on the issue tomorrow.
Ahead of today's hearing the government extended the date of linking Aadhaar to old bank accounts to March 31, 2018. For accounts opened after 1 June 2017, Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number or PAN will have to be submitted within six months of opening or by 31 March 2018 -- the later date will be the deadline. For people who do not have the 12-digit Unique Identification number, the deadline was extended last week.
Activists have challenged the validity of Aadhaar, contending that making it mandatory violates the Right to Privacy, which has recently been recognized by the Supreme Court as a fundamental right. The largescale sharing of biometric data like iris scans and finger printing also leaves room for misuse.
During this morning's hearing, senior advocate Shyam Dhivan, who was representing the petitioners, told the judges that the government has expanded the use of Aadhaar and made it mandatory despite a ruling by the Supreme Court.
The court, the advocate said, had made Aadhaar voluntary, not compulsory. But government had passed a law to make it mandatory for accessing any service -- including train and bus travel. Moreover, instead of making it mandatory for six schemes, as the court had ordered, the government had made it compulsory for 139 schemes.
