Delhi HC raps government for seeking Aadhaar number of students’ kin

A Delhi government circular seeking Aadhaar and voter card details of family members of students enrolled in all Delhi schools, to separate them from pupils from other states, has not gone down well with the Delhi high court

A Delhi government circular seeking Aadhaar and voter card details of family members of students enrolled in all Delhi schools, to separate them from pupils from other states, has not gone down well with the Delhi high court.

A woman goes through the process of finger scanning for the Unique Identification (UID) database system, also known as Aadhaar, at a registration centre in New Delhi, India, January 17, 2018. (REUTERS FIle Photo)

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chandrashekhar said it was inclined to stay the Delhi government notification seeking these documents.

But when the hearing was taking place, the Supreme Court had not pronounced the judgment upholding the constitutionality of Aadhaar. Hence, the matter was posted till October 1.

The court was hearing a petition filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra challenging the September 11 circular, asking for the Aadhaar numbers not just of students studying in Delhi schools but also of their siblings and parents. The circular also sought voter identity cards of family members.

The data was to be collected within 10 days of the order, the circular stated.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the bench wanted know the reason behind the circular.

Singh said the documents would help in mapping the students as many use fake address proofs in order to secure admissions in state-run schools, putting a strain on the infrastructure and other arrangements.

This did not go down well with the bench, which said it would stay this notification.

To this, Singh said the apex court was yet to deliver its verdict on Aadhaar. Following this, the court sought the response of the authorities and posted the matter for Monday.

The plea filed by the Government School Teachers Association had contended that the circular violated law of the land and Right to Privacy. The plea said such an exercise would be unnecessary burden on the students, teachers and the education machinery, and the collection and subsequent digitisation of documents would cause a financial burden on the exchequer.