Supreme court verdict on aadhaar linking

Here are the main points followed by live updates of all the developments:

• Justice Sikhri has conditionally upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar.
• SC has made compulsory the linking of Aadhaar with PAN.
• Private companies cannot insist on Aadhaar.
• National security exception for disclosure of Aaadhaar information as per Seciton 33(2) has been struck down.
• ‘Being unique is better than being best and Aadhaar is unique,’ Justie Sikhri has observed.
• CBSE, NEET cannot mandate Aadhaar.
• Aadhaar not mandatory for school admissions.
• The Supreme Court has directed the government to not give Aadhaar to illegal immigrants.
• The Supreme Court has observed that as of today it does not find anything in the Aadhaar Act that ‘violates right to privacy of individual citizen.’
• Bank accounts need not be mandatorily linked to Aadhaar: SC
• No person should be denied rights due to the lack of Aadhaar, SC has observed.
• Aadhaar-Mobile linking not mandatory: No mobile company can demand mandatory linking of Aadhaar card to their connections.
• Justice Chandrachud observed that Aadhaar has ‘serious problems’ about exclusion, and the right of the marginalised to benefits cannot be made to depend on it.
• Justice Chandrachud also said that Aadhaar has ‘reduced’ a person to just 12 digits and demanded the government first bring out a proper data protection regime.
• Constitutional guarantees cannot be left to risks posed by technological advancements, Justice Chandrachud added.
• Justice Ashok Bhushan says he ‘broadly agrees’ with the judgement of Justice Sikri, which is the majority judgement.
• Justice Bhushan also feels that ‘rightful beneficiaries’ should not be denied services, subsidies and benefits. He says he is sure steps will be taken to minimise the mismatch.