In a big blow to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Supreme Court today ruled that Aadhaar cannot be mandatory for any government service. It also announced that the organisation cannot share Aadhaar details of any individual with government agencies without getting consent from the person for the same. The petitioners told the three-judge bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan that the project violates right to privacy and that it was not backed by any statute, thus compromising national security. They also argued that "biometrics" is an unreliable and untested technology and public funds were being channeled to private enterprises without sufficient validation. The Indian government has not yet succeeded in passing the National Identification Authority of India bill, that would have legalised Aadhaar and its use for direct cash benefits. It had earlier approved Rs 3,436.16 crore for Phase IV of the UID (Aadhaar card) scheme in May 2013. This fund includes Rs 1,600 crore to cover the cost of enrolling an additional 40 crore residents, Rs 490 crore updation services, Rs 1,049 crore for printing and dispatch of Aadhaar letters and Rs 247.16 crore towards additional cost for construction of buildings for headquarters, data centers and non-data centers of UIDAI. The court had passed an interim order last year stating that Aadhaar cards should not be mandatory for social services, after a PIL was raised by Karnataka High Court judge KS Puttaswamy. He claimed that various state governments had linked social benefits to Aadhaar and that this had resulted in many people losing these benefits. Besides…
