Aadhaar will be mandatory for all, Centre tells SC

Lifting the curtains on the ambiguity on enrolment being voluntary, the Centre on Tuesday submitted that it will be mandatory for all. Defending the Centre’s ambitious identification system, Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi added that Aadhaar was a more robust and foolproof method when compared to the Permanent Account Number (PAN) card.

Suggesting that perhaps the opposing counsels had wrongly interpreted the contested sections of the Aadhaar Act and Finance Act, the AG said, “Aadhaar is not as voluntary as they say.”

The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions pertaining to the constitutional legality of making Aadhaar compulsory under the Finance Act. According to that Act, passed by the Parliament in the last session of the Lok Sabha, the PAN of an individual will be invalidated unless the Aadhaar number or the enrollment number is quoted while filing tax returns.

Claiming that biometrics cannot be faked — since fingerprints and irises were unique to individuals — Rohatgi said the PAN required secondary documents like ration card and driving licence, among other identity proofs, which in itself were not foolproof.

“Aadhaar makes a secure and robust system through which the identity of a person cannot be faked,” the AG said before a bench …read more