Aadhaar-PAN card linking: Government extends deadline to December 31, SC to hear matter in November

New Delhi, August 30: The Supreme Court announced today that a set of petitions would be heard related to the Aadhaar matters in November. The Center informed that it would extend till December 31 deadline to furnish Aaadhar to avail benefits of social welfare schemes. after Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench that the Center would extend the September 30th deadline, the Chief Justice Dipak Misra said there was no urgency to hear the Aadhaar-related matter.

Shyam divan, the senior advocate representing various petitioners cited the aadhar-related matter before the bench. The bench also comprising of Justices Amitava Roy and A.M. Khanwilkar and needed early hearing on the batch of petitions. The petitions also  summoned the move of Centre to make Aadhaar compulsory in order to avail benefits of various social welfare schemes.

When Shymar Divan referred to the deadline of September 30, KK Venugopal said that “The Center would extend it till December 31.” The bench said that “There is no urgency. It would be listed in the 1 week of November.” A three-judge bench had on July 7 said that all issues arising out of Aadhaar should finally be decided by a larger bench.

The hearing of Aadhaar-related matters that also included the aspect of right to privacy would be done by the 5-judge Constitution Bench of the court on July 12.  The 5-judge Constitution Bench  on July 18 had appointed a 9-judge bench to decide on right to privacy.

On August 24, the 9-judge Constitution bench of the apex court announced the Right to privacy as a Fundamental right and it is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and also a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution. The court would hear 3 separate petitions that would challenge the notification of government stating that Aadhaar is mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes.