Aadhaar ‘Not Mandatory’: Supreme Court

11 August, New Delhi

Supreme Court on Tuesday came out with an interim order, saying the Aadhaar card is not mandatory for the citizens to avail services and welfare schemes other than PDS, food grain distribution, cooking fuel/LPG.

The three-member apex court bench said that the Central Government is allowed to use Aadhaar for PDS, especially distribution of food grains, kerosene oil and LPG with a condition that possession of the card will not be required for availing the benefits.

The apex court further said that no personal information of Aadhaar cardholders should be shared by the authorities concerned.

Earlier, the apex court had referred a batch of petitions to a Constitution Bench to declare the Aadhaar scheme as ‘an intrusion to privacy’.