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Editor’s Note

Supreme Court on Aadhaar:

Better to be unique than best

WHEN JUSTICE Arjan Kumar Sikri of bank accounts, mobile numbers with it. This all hap-
the Supreme Court announcing the pened while the government was promising minimum
historic Aadhaar judgment said, “It government and maximum governance.
is better to be unique than to be Fear was lurking that making Aadhaar all perva-
best,” it was clear that the top Court sive would be leaving field open for cyber criminals
has upheld the validity of Aadhaar and even global intrusion. After all, complete access
with certain riders. The acceptance to personal data viz names, photographs, addresses,
of Aadhaar after a judicial review with date of birth, marriage certificate, school admissions,
observation that sufficient security meas- marital status, mobile numbers, personal email IDs,
ures are taken to protect data and it is difficult to launch we would be putting privacy of individuals at peril .
surveillance on citizens on the basis of Aadhaar should Certain rights guaranteed by the Constitution were be-
be welcomed. A five-judge bench led by CJI Dipak Misra ing reinterpreted. Now the Supreme Court has upheld
has asked the government to provide more security the Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but has
measures as well as reduce the period of storage of struck down several provisions in the Aadhaar Act. For
data. We learn that the government is coming with a instance, the Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for
proposal by September end, followed by its approval at openings of a bank account, for getting mobile connec-
a Cabinet meeting. tions, for school admissions, etc. However, the linking of
The effectiveness of Aadhaar can be understood Aadhaar with PAN and filing of Income Tax Return has
from the fact since its introduction, the government been mandatory. The Apex Court has directed the gov-
has been able to save a whopping 90,000 crore by ernment to ensure that illegal migrants are not issued
eliminating duplicate and non-existent beneficiaries. Aadhaar to get benefits of social welfare schemes. Post
There are close to 122 crore Aadhaar card holders in the judgment, the private companies can’t ask for Aadhaar.
country. Technology is a tool of governance and nobody However, the big question remains as to what would
can afford to be a laggard. Still there are skeptics who happen to the data already procured from the citizens
find fault with digitalisation or with EVMs. The man- by the corporate sector?
date for Aadhaar was to be an effective tool for delivery
of subsidies to eliminate middlemen and unscrupulous
elements from siphoning off the benefits meant for the
poor. However, it became an instrument to harass com-
mon men asking them to link ration cards, PAN cards, (CHARANJIT AHUJA)

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