The Supreme Court on March 22 questioned the seven-year delay to bring the Aadhaar Act despite concern voiced at the prime ministerial level, way back in 2009, that implementation of Aadhaar requires legal sanction.
“It was said at the Prime Minister’s level that a legal sanction was required to implement Aadhaar. But it took seven years to bring in the legislation,” Justice D.Y. Chandrachud addressed Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, representing the Centre. Mr. Venugopal said a legislation was brought in 2010 but it took a lot of “ground work” before it was made law in 2016.
The petitioners challenging the Aadhaar scheme has highlighted how the majority of the Aadhaar enrolment was done between 2009 and 2016 prior to the Aadhaar Act. Justice Chandrachud had asked whether individuals were enrolled after getting their informed consent.
Mr. Venugopal asserted that Aadhaar was not a “fly-by-night effort but a serious endeavour by the State to alleviate poverty by giving the poor an identity to access subsidies and welfare. He said, between 2006 and 2016, there were over 60 committees, including Cabinet committees, Empowered Group of Ministers and other separate groups within various ministries which deliberated the Aadhaar.
