On Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s (SC) deadline to link Aadhaar, to avail benefits under various social welfare schemes was extended to December 31. Attorney General KK Venugopal made the submission before a bench led by the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.
“We (Centre) have said we will extend it to December 31,” Venugopal told the bench which also comprised Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar.
Appearing for petitioners, who challenged the constitutional validity of the biometric identity scheme, Senior advocate Shyam Divan said that since a nine-judge constitution bench had recently declared privacy as a fundamental right, the batch of Aadhaar-related petitions should be taken up for hearing by an appropriate bench.
The petitioners who also led the fight for Right to Privacy, have challenged the government’s move to make Aadhaar compulsory to avail benefits.
After considering the Centre’s extension, the court suggested that the matter would be taken up before an appropriate bench in the first week of November. “Urgency is not there. The Attorney General is saying that it will be extended. It (petitions) will be listed in the first week of November,” the bench said.
While making his plea, Divan had referred to Justice Rohinton Nariman’s separate but concurring verdict in the privacy judgment where he had contended that matters relating to Aadhaar should be sent back for adjudication on merits by a bench of three judges.
Right to privacy
On August 24, a nine-judge constitution bench held that privacy was a fundamental right and was an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21.
Centre suggested that a constitutional bench comprising five judges would be more appropriate to adjudicate matters of such importance.
“We (Centre) have said we will extend it to December 31,” Venugopal told the bench which also comprised Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar.
Appearing for petitioners, who challenged the constitutional validity of the biometric identity scheme, Senior advocate Shyam Divan said that since a nine-judge constitution bench had recently declared privacy as a fundamental right, the batch of Aadhaar-related petitions should be taken up for hearing by an appropriate bench.
The petitioners who also led the fight for Right to Privacy, have challenged the government’s move to make Aadhaar compulsory to avail benefits.
After considering the Centre’s extension, the court suggested that the matter would be taken up before an appropriate bench in the first week of November. “Urgency is not there. The Attorney General is saying that it will be extended. It (petitions) will be listed in the first week of November,” the bench said.
While making his plea, Divan had referred to Justice Rohinton Nariman’s separate but concurring verdict in the privacy judgment where he had contended that matters relating to Aadhaar should be sent back for adjudication on merits by a bench of three judges.
Right to privacy
On August 24, a nine-judge constitution bench held that privacy was a fundamental right and was an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21.
Centre suggested that a constitutional bench comprising five judges would be more appropriate to adjudicate matters of such importance.