The Modi Government on Tuesday came out in full support of the Aadhaar scheme in the Supreme Court and demanded that the challenge to the validity of the scheme must be heard by a Bench of five judges. Presently, a three-judge Bench is hearing the case.
Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar that so far Aadhaar had covered 80 crore population in the country, clearly indicating that the UPA's flagship scheme had been taken forward by the new regime.
Although a bunch of petitions have challenged the Aadhaar scheme to be constitutionally invalid raising vital questions of its effect on individual right to privacy, Rohatgi made it clear that there was no looking back on the scheme as the Centre was committed to carry it forward.
He said that the petitions could be heard by a bench of five judges on which the three-judge bench will decide on Wednesday. Currently, SC has restrained the Centre or states from making Aadhaar mandatory for offering public services or schemes.