The Centre and the city government were today directed by the Delhi High Court to respond to a PIL against implementation of Unique Identification(UID) scheme that alleged that collection of personal data for UID or Aadhaar card is violative of right to privacy of a person.
Issuing notices to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under Planning Commission and Delhi government, a bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru sought their response within six weeks.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Beghar Mazdoor Foundation, an NGO working for uplift of poor, through its secretary Ashok Pandey challenging UIDAI's 2009 notification to issue UID or Aadhaar numbers to every citizen of India.
"The UID numbers will be issued by collecting demographic and biometric information that is unique to every individual. The collection of personal identifying information for the issuance of UID number is highly invasive and raises serious concerns regarding the security of critical personal and biometric information which is in complete violation of the right to privacy and dignity which forms part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India," the PIL said.
"The collection of vital personal data for the purposes of issuance of the UID number by the respondent UIDAI, is without any legislative authority/sanction, and in the absence of any data protection laws regulating the use and disclosure of such personal data," the plea also said.
The petitioner argued that the city government's decision mandating the UID number or Aadhaar a condition for access and entitlement to the various critical services and utilities provided by it is also illegal.
