(HT)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the government whether it would take coercive action against people who did not link their bank accounts and mobile numbers to the Aadhar unique-identity scheme before the government’s stipulated deadline.
A bench headed by chief justice Dipak Misra sought the clarification after attorney general KK Venugopal said the government was willing to extend the deadline for the mandatory linking from December 31, 2016 to March 31 next year, but only for those who had not registered under Aadhaar yet and “are willing to enroll”.
The top court is hearing a raft of petitions challenging the government’s move, which has raised privacy concerns, especially after recent massive leak of citizens details – including mobile numbers and bank details. An Aadhaar card, containing a 12-digit identification number, is issued to individuals after collecting their biometric data such as retina scan and fingerprints.
