SC Directs Banks, Mobile Service Providers to Include Last Date for Linking Aadhaar in Alerts
November 3, 2017
Seeking the government’s response on four petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act, the Supreme Court on Friday said the banks and telecom service providers should indicate the last date of linking bank accounts and mobile numbers with Aadhaar in the alert messages sent by them to their customers.
The apex court also sought the government’s response on linking of bank accounts and mobile numbers with the 12-digit biometric identification number. It refused to pass any interim order in the matter saying that final hearing in all Aadhaar-related issues would start before another bench in the last week of this month and the Centre has already extended the deadline till December 31.
“We make it clear that in the messages sent by banks and telecom service providers, the date of December 31, 2017 and February 6, 2018, shall also be indicated as the last date of linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile numbers,” said the bench that comprised of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.
Referring to a recently filed affidavit by the Centre, senior advocate Shyam Divan, who appeared for one of the petitioners, pointed out the government has said the deadline for linking Aadhaar may be extended till March 31, 2018. However, the bench stated that the petitioners can raise this issue before the court which would hear all Aadhaar-related matters in the last week of November.
“There is no doubt that these arguments need consideration. The matter is going to come up in the last week of November and the time (to link Aadhaar with bank accounts) has been extended till December 31,” the bench said.
Earlier this week, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had said that a constitution bench would be constituted and Aadhaar-related matters would come up for hearing before it in November last.
In August, a nine-judge constitution bench of the apex court had maintained that Right to Privacy was a Fundamental Right under the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging the validity of Aadhaar had claimed it violated privacy rights(Agencies)
