Fudging Aadhaar

The SC interim order on Aadhaar implies that Aadhaar will be voluntary for the rich while being mandatory for the poor to access welfare schemes that are critical for survival

The Supreme Court’s interim order of March 13 appears incongruous to the earlier unanimous verdict on the right to privacy and the Constitutional right to equality. The deadline to link Aadhaar with bank accounts and phones have been indefinitely extended while they aren't extended for notifications of welfare schemes for the poor such as old age pensions and MGNREGA. In a nutshell, it implies that Aadhaar will be voluntary for the rich while being mandatory for the poor to access welfare schemes that are critical for survival. In other words, sadly, right to privacy crucially hinges on the class of