March 31 Aadhaar deadline extended

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 13

The Supreme Court  today extended the March 31 deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, mobile phone numbers and various services/welfare schemes till its Constitution Bench delivered its verdict on the validity of the Aadhaar Act and the 12-digit unique biometric identification number.

The top court had on December 15, 2017, extended the deadline for linking of Aadhaar with mobile phones and opening of new bank accounts to March 31. The deadline is also applicable to Central and state government schemes.

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On Tuesday, the Bench also ordered that the government cannot insist on production of Aadhaar number for issuance of passports under the Tatkal scheme.

The five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, is hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act. Last week, it indicated that it would extend the deadline in view of confusion in banks and financial market at the end of the financial year.

The Centre, too, had said it was ready to extend the March 31 deadline but wanted the court to wait further. Last week, the top court had ordered the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) not to make Aadhaar mandatory for enrolment of students appearing in NEET 2018 and other all-India examinations. 

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