(FE)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred to a larger Constitution bench another fresh plea challenging the Aadhaar Act and the mandatory use of the unique identification number in at least 17 government schemes, including mid-day meal and disability pension. “We think it is appropriate for the larger bench to pass orders …,” a bench led by justice AK Sikri said. However, it may be noted that the apex court is yet to constitute a larger constitution bench to decide if Aadhaar is violative of a citizen’s fundamental right to privacy.
The bench had last week reserved its judgments on the three petitions that challenged the government’s decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for filing income-tax returns (ITRs) as well as for obtaining and retaining the permanent account number (PAN).
