(Eds: With additional inputs)New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) The deadline for mandatory linkingof Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemeswould shortly be extended till March 31 next year, the Centretoday told the Supreme Court.
The statement was made by the Centre before a benchheaded by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which said it may set upa five-judge Constitution bench next week to hear severalpleas seeking an interim stay on the decision of mandatorylinking of Aadhaar.
Attorney General K K Venugopal vehemently opposed beforethe bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, the plea of senior advocate Shyam Divan,appearing for those opposing the Aadhaar scheme, that theongoing Aadhaar enrolment process be stayed.
"There cannot be a stay on the Aadhaar scheme which hasgone on for years," Venugopal said, adding that the currentdeadline of December 31 will be extended and a notification tothis effect may be issued tomorrow itself.
Venugopal said he was ready and willing to argue the casefinally and no interim stay should be granted in such animportant matter.
The bench also made it clear that only a larger benchwould decide on the plea for grant of interim stay on theAadhaar scheme.
The top court said that the constitution bench would alsofix the date for the final hearing and disposal of thepetitions challenging the biometric identification scheme.
On November 27, the apex court had said it may considersetting up a constitution bench to hear pleas challenging theCentre's move to make Aadhaar card mandatory for availingvarious services and benefits of welfare schemes.
It had on October 30 said a constitution bench wouldcommence hearing on the clutch of petitions against Aadhaarscheme from last week of November.
Recently, a nine-judge constitution bench of the apexcourt had held that Right to Privacy was a Fundamental Rightunder the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging thevalidity of Aadhaar had claimed it violated privacy rights.
The Centre had on October 25 told the top court that thedeadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to receive benefitsof government schemes has been extended till March 31, 2018for those who do not have the 12-digit unique biometricidentification number and were willing to enrol for it.
The Attorney General had told the court that no coerciveaction would be taken against those who do not have theAadhaar card but are willing to enrol for. He had said suchpeople would not be denied the benefits of social welfareschemes till March 31.
In a note to the court, the government had said that"those who have Aadhaar are required to seed/link theirAadhaar with SIM card, with bank account, PAN card and otherschemes where section 7 notifications have been issued".
"The government will be open for the deadline for linkingAadhaar to various programmes being extended for another threemonths till March 31, 2018 for those who do not have Aadhaar,"the note had said.
Some petitioners in the top court have termed the linkingof the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) numberwith bank accounts and mobile numbers as "illegal andunconstitutional".
They have also objected to the CBSE's alleged move tomake Aadhaar card mandatory for students appearing forexaminations, a contention denied by the Centre.
One of the counsel representing the petitioners hadearlier said that final hearing on the main Aadhaar matter wasnecessary as the government "cannot compel" citizens to linktheir Aadhaar with either bank accounts or cell phone numbers.
PTI SJK ABA RKSARC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.