Law linking Aadhaar to Voter ID card challenged in Supreme Court, Surjewala's plea to be heard tomorrow

The Centre’s law making it mandatory to link Aadhaar and Voter Identity Card has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The top court will hear tomorrow the petition moved by Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala who has challenged the central government’s June 19 notification. 

A Bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna will hear the petition which challenges The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill passed last year.

Demanding that law be scrapped, Surjewala has contended that the linking of Aadhaar to Voter ID card “infringes upon the Fundamental Right to Privacy of citizens and therefore is unconstitutional and ultra vires the Constitution of India.”

The Centre, on the other hand, has contended that linking Aadhaar to Voter IDs was critical in eliminating fake and redundant voter cards, thereby making elections more fair and transparent. 

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill allows electoral registration officers to seek the Aadhaar number of people who want to register as voters "for the purpose of establishing identity".

In 2015, a similar move to link Aadhaar to Voter ID card was put on the backburner after the Supreme Court observed that “the Aadhaar card scheme was purely voluntary” and was only meant to be proof of residence, and not proof of citizenship.