SC upholds constitutional validity of Aadhaar card, but with caveats

CBSE and UGC can no longer ask for Aadhaar from citizens for the purpose of conducting any entrance examination or running a scheme

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, but curbed the scope of the controversial biometric identity project by diluting several of its provisions.

A five-judge Constitution Bench presided over by Chief Justice Dipak Misra ruled that Aadhaar would not be mandatory for opening bank accounts and getting mobile connections. But the 12-digit unique identity number would remain mandatory for filing income tax returns and availing of subsidies and benefits under various schemes of the the government, according to the majority judgment.