'Aadhaar Not Mandatory for Bank Accounts, Sim Cards': Centre Clears Amendment to Law
The cabinet said yes to the amendment on Monday, making Aadhaar optional. This is the latest amendment made in Aadhaar act, making it non-mandatory for essential services.
New Delhi, December 17: The Centre has cleared a law that says Aadhaar won't be a must for bank accounts, phones. The cabinet said yes to the amendment on Monday, making Aadhaar optional. This is the latest amendment made in Aadhaar act, making it non-mandatory for essential services. Aadhaar Not Mandatory to Avail Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme, Clarifies Government.
In September, the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and said that it empowers the marginalised sections of the society. However, it had ruled that the Aadhar card is not needed for school admissions and mobile phone connections. The 12-digit unique identification number will also not be mandatory for UGC, NEET and CBSE Exams. The court also asserted that Aadhar card will not be provided to illegal migrants. Aadhaar Not Mandatory for School and College Admissions, Boards Like CBSE and Competitive Exams Like NEET.
The Supreme Court also asked the central government to introduce a strong data protection law as soon as possible.
A five-judge Constitution Bench passed the verdict in the case, while Justice A K Sikri authored the judgement on behalf of himself, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar. The two other justices D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan wrote their opinions separately.
The Court further said that minimal demographic and biometric data of citizens are collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for Aadhaar enrolment and the Aadhaar number given to a person is unique and can’t be provided to any other person.
The apex court announced the verdict on a number of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and its enabling Act. The key arguments of the petitioners were that the Aadhaar scheme is unconstitutional and is in violation of the fundamental right to privacy and personal body autonomy. (With Agency Inputs)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2018 09:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).