Aadhar card will not be mandatory for availing benefits of government’s welfare schemes, said the Supreme Court. It barred the authorities from sharing personal biometric data collected for enrolment under the scheme.
A Constitution bench of the apex court will also decide the larger question of whether collecting biometric data for preparing Aadhar cards infringed an individual’s privacy and if right to privacy was a fundamental right.
“No personal information of Aadhar card shall be shared by any authority,” a three-judge bench said and took on record Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi’s averment to this effect.
“UIDAI/Aadhar will not be used for any other purposes except PDS, kerosene and LPG distribution system,” the bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said. He also made it clear that even for availing these facilities Aadhar card will not be mandatory.
The bench said that UIDAI shall not be used for any other purposes, except in criminal investigation and that too with the permission of the court.
It, however, did not allow the interim pleas of the petitioners, who have challenged the Aadhar scheme, to stop the process of ongoing enrolment.
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