This is all on the landmark judgment given by the Supreme Court on the Constitutional validity of the AadhaarAct. Watch this space for more on breaking news.
UIDAIChairman: Happy with the Supreme Court order since it has upheld the constitutionality of Aadhaar – The top court has said linking witness banks and telecom requires better legal backing.
He also said that the government is considering how a new law can be brought in – PAN and Aadhaar will have to coexist –
On linking with PPF and EPFO, he said that he needs to study the order before commenting
SC's Aadhaar verdict: What went the government's way and what didn't
The Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the long-standing debate over Aadhaar. The top court ruled that it is constitutionally valid and does not violate the citizens' right to privacy.... Read More
Ravi Shankar Prasad calls the Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar a historic 4:1 judgment
On the top court's verdict on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, the Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told CNN News 18,"Those people who started the campaign for Aadhaar have now become the critic of Aadhaar now. There will be a committee set up to look into the suggestions. A robust parliamentary law was upheld by the Supreme Court today. The poor will get empowered and their dignity will be restored. This judgment promotes accountability to the government of India. A historic 4:1 judgment was given by the Supreme Court today."
UIDAI sees victory in SC judgement
The UIDAI has termed the Supreme Court judgement as a victory, according to a PTI report.
The Unique Identification Authority of India CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI that the 4:1 apex court judgement announced Wednesday is in favour of Aadhaar.
"It is 4:1 judgement in favour of Aadhaar. The court has declared Aadhaar constitutionally valid. It is a money bill. It can be used for pan card. It empowers poor and marginalised section. Aadhaar can be used for subsidies and government schemes so that there is no leakage of government funds. It can be used for income tax so that tax evasion and black money can be curbed," Pandey said.
No clarity yet on what happens to Aadhaar numbers already with telcos, banks
While the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down linking of mobile phone numbers and bank accounts with Aadhaar was welcomed by most, it does not yet address a key question.
What happens to the data and Aadhaar numbers that telecom companies, banks and other private entities have already collected?
Union Minister for Law Ravi Shankar Prasad has said Supreme Court's verdict on Aadhaar is a victory of good governance, empowerment of ordinary people and efficient delivery of public services to the people.
SC's Aadhaar verdict: What went the government's way and what didn't
The Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the long-standing debate over Aadhaar. The top court ruled that it is constitutionally valid and does not violate the citizens' right to privacy.... Read More
FM Jaitley has hit out at Congress saying, “Congress party cuts a very sorry figure. They introduced the idea and they did not know what to do with it.”
“What you will use it for was unclear from the beginning,” they said.
Jaitley said that the NDA government redrafted the legislation and replaced the pith and substance of the law.
“We must bear in mind that we were entering unchartered area, breaking new ground,” Jaitley added.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reacts to Aadhaar verdict
Terming the Supreme Court’s verdict on Aadhaar as “historic”, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the “whole concept of unique identification number has been accepted after a judicial review”.
Jaitley said that 122 crore people in India have an Aadhaar card.
The Centre estimates that by identifying beneficiaries of government schemes and removing fake and duplicate beneficiaries, the government is able to saving 90,000 crore per year, Jaitley added.
The finance minister also expressed happiness over Supreme Court upholding theAadhaarBill as a Money Bill.
Aadhaar verdict may delay new vehicle registrations
With the Supreme Court barring private companies from seeking Aadhaar details from consumers, registration of new vehicles may get impacted.The authority to give registration number to a vehicle rests with regional transport offices (RTOs), which are controlled by the state governments.
Over 21.08 crore PAN-Aadhaar linkages till now: Data
Over 21.08 crore permanent account numbers (PANs) have been linked with Aadhaar till now, a latest data revealed as the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the linkage between the two databases Wednesday.
As per official figures accessed by PTI, a total of 21,08,16,676 PANs issued by the Income Tax Department have been linked with Aadhaar till Monday.
The total operational or issued PANs are over 41.02 crore (41,02,66,969) as per the same time line, the data said. (PTI)
Services that will continue to require Aadhaar linking:
# Mandatory to link PAN with Aadhaar
# Aadhaar is compulsory for filing Income Tax returns
# Aadhaar must for availing facilities of welfare schemes and government subsidies
SC dismisses plea challenging appointment of Rajan Gogoi as next CJI
In another judgement, the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India. The petition had been filed by advocate RP Luthra.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) has welcomed the Aadhaarverdict.
“From day one Mamata Banerjee and TMC'sviews on Aadhaar have been consistent, well-articulated and well known. Both inside and outside Parliament,” West Bengal’s ruling party tweeted.
“So you do not need to give your Aadhaar to private bodies like banks, schools, mobile companies. Trinamool and Mamata Banerjee fought hard for this,” TMC said in a statement.
Justice Ashok Bhushan has concurred with the majority three-judge judgement and said that the government and the UIDAI were empowered to cure defects in the Aadhaar scheme.
BJP claims victory for Modi government
Speaking to news agency ANI, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Sambit Patra has claimed that the Supreme Court verdict today was a “victory for Aadhaar and victory for the Modi government.”
“The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and that it does not violate privacy,” he said.
Patra said that the top court decision showed that Aadhaar was “safe and cannot be duplicated”, adding that it “gives strength to poor people”
“The Modi government wants to give benefits directly to the poor,” he added.
Taking a shot at the Congress, Patra said that the Rahul Gandhi-led party wanted Aadhaar to be struck down as they wanted to be the middlemen.
“Congress stands exposed as the Supreme Court has said it is not for immigrants,” he added.
SC allows live stream of court proceedings
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ruled that certain cases can be live streamed from the courtroom.
The top court has said that rules have to be followed for this. "Live streaming of court proceedings will bring accountability into the judicial system," SC has said.
Justice Ashok Bhushan has begun reading out his judgment. Bhushan is largely in agreement with the bench majority. However, he is dissenting on some points.
SC upholds constitutional validity of Aadhaar, but with conditions applied
The Supreme Court has held the Aadhaar scheme is constitutionally valid but has struck down certain sections of the Aadhaar Act 2016, marking a historic day in a long-drawn legal battle against the government's controversial biometric identity project.
Supreme Court has ruled that Aadhaar is not mandatory for UGC, NEET and CBSE examinations.
Read the full story here.
The Centre is planning to link details of 100 million workers with Aadhaar to track job growth andduplication in payroll data, according to reports.
“Aadhaar program in its entirety is unconstitutional,” Justice Chandrachud, the only dissenting judge on the five-judge bench has said.
PODCAST:
The Supreme Court has ruled that Aadhaar linking with PAN is valid. Earlier this year, the Centre rolled out a short-term online service for the immediate allotment of a permanent account number to individuals who have an Aadhaar ID.
Technology confronts the future of freedom itself. Quest for digital India must be cognisant of the digital divide. Digital nation must not submerge the identities of a digitised citizen: Justice Chandrachud
Key points from the SC ruling
# Aadhaar will benefit marginalised people
# Private firms cannot access Aadhaar data
# Linking bank accounts, mobile numbers withAadhaaris unconstitutional
# Aadhaar-PAN linking is valid
#Aadhaarnot mandatory for school admissions
# No child can be denied benefits for want ofAadhaar
# Children can opt out of benefits ofAadhaarupon turning adults
Aadhaar number is mandatory for PAN linking, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The majority verdict is out. Justice Chandrachud is now reading out his judgement.
The government needs to ensure that illegal migrants do not get Aadhaar card: Supreme Court
Linking of Aadhaar with mobile phone numbers is unconstitutional: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled that no corporate canaccess Aadhaar authentication services.
Aadhaar is not mandatory for school admissions, Justice Sikri has said.
CBSE, UGC andNEET cannot make Aadhaar mandatory, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Children will be given an option to opt out of benefits of Aadhaar after becoming adults, the Supreme Court has said.
Supreme Court asks Centre to "introduce strong data protection law as soon as possible".
Justice Sikrihas said that remedy is to plug the loopholes andnot to stop the project altogether.
Reading out the judgement, Justice Sikri has said that the purpose of the Act is legitimate and that rational connection to the purpose is satisfied. However, the balancing test is satisfied by the Act so far as Aadhaar only collects minimal data.
The court has struck down section 57. Meaning, private companies cannot insist on Aadhaarnumber of customers.
National security exception under Section 33 has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
National security exception under Section 33 has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
Profiling is not possible using Aadhaar. There are sufficient safeguards to disallow it. However, some provisions are struck down: Justice Sikri
Human dignity is already a settled right from an individual's point of view: Justice Sikri
Justice Sikri is now touching upon the question raised about the petitioners about the Right to Privacy.
Aadhaar empowers marginalised sections of the society by giving them identity: Justice Sikri
There is a fundamental difference between Aadhaar card and identity. Once the bio-metric information is stored, it remains in the system: Justice Sikri
The court has concluded that minimal data is to be collected. Other documents required for Aadhaar are also proof of identity: Justice Sikri
