Aadhaar deadline to avail social benefits extended to Dec 31: Centre to SC

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that all petitions related with Aadhaar- related matters will be heard in the first week of November.

The Centre told the apex court that it will extend the deadline for mandatory Aadhaar to avail social benefits to December 31 from the earlier September 30.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the challenge to the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme would be heard in the first week of November.

A bench said there was no urgency to hear the matter after Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench that the Centre will extend the September 30th deadline.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing various petitioners, mentioned the matter before the bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar and sought early hearing on the batch of petitions which have also challenged the Centre's move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of of various social welfare schemes.

When Divan referred to the deadline of September 30, Venugopal said, "We (Centre) will extend it to December 31".

"The urgency is not there. It will be listed in the first week of November," the bench said.

A three-judge bench had on July 7 said that all issues arising out of Aadhaar should finally be decided by a larger bench.

Later on July 12, the apex court said that its five-judge Constitution Bench will hear matters relating to Aadhaar, including the aspect of right to privacy.

The five-judge bench on July 18 had constituted a nine- judge bench to decide on right to privacy.

A nine-judge Constitution bench of the apex court had on August 24, declared the Right to privacy as a Fundamental right saying it is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.

The apex court was hearing three separate petitions challenging government's notification making Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes. 

With PTI Inputs