‘Can EC mandate linking of Aadhaar with Voter ID?’

The bench said given the judgment of the SC in 2019 limiting the usage of Aadhaar, the issue raised by the petitioner may require some clarification from the court”

- Dhananjay.Mahapatra timesgroup.com

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday entertained a PIL which sought quashing of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 that permits linking voter ID cards with Aadhaar in violation of the SC’s 2019 judgment that had made Aadhaar mandatory only for receiving subsidy benefits and voluntary for all other purposes.

Appearing for octogenarian retired major general S G Vombatkere, senior advocate Shyam Divan said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered all Aadhaar card holders to mandatorily link their UID number with their voter card, which was violative of the right to privacy and has the potential to breach the secrecy attached to the voting exercise. Vombatkere had unsuccessfully challenged the validity of Aadhaar Act, 2016.