In a setback to the Centre, the Supreme Court on Monday said that Aadhaar cards, being issued under a key scheme of the UPA-2, are purely voluntary and that Centre and state government departments cannot demand the card as the sole proof of identity in order to provide a service.
The top court’s interim directions came in response to a PIL filed by a former judge questioning the legal sanctity of the Aadhaar card.
In his plea, K.S. Puttaswamy, a retired judge of the Karnataka high court, challenged the decisions of some states to make Aadhaar cards compulsory for a range of basic activities, including salary and PF disbursals, marriage and property registrations, as well as issuing new gas connections. It alleged that through the Aadhaar scheme, even non-citizens are likely to be given benefits, such as cash transfers.
The court directed the Centre to ensure that Aadhaar cards are not issued to illegal immigrants.