Supreme Court upholds Aadhaar with conditions: Here is the chronology of the case

The Supreme Court declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but struck down some of its provisions including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.

The following is the chronology of events leading up to the Supreme Court on Wednesday declaring the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid although it struck down some provisions including the linking of the biometric ID with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions:

An outside view of Supreme Court in New Delhi on September 26. (AP Photo)

* Jan 2009: Planning Commission notification on UIDAI.

* 2010-2011: National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 introduced.

* Nov 2012: Retired Justice K S Puttaswamy and others file PILs in SC challenging validity of Aadhaar.

* Nov 2013: SC orders all states and Union Territories be impleaded as respondents.

* Mar 3, 2016: Aadhaar Bill, 2016 introduced in Lok Sabha; later passed as Money Bill.

* May 2017: Former Union minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh moves SC challenging the Centre’s decision to treat Aadhaar bill as a money bill.

* Aug 24, 2017: SC nine-judge bench rules that right to privacy is a fundamental right.

* Dec 15: SC extends deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes till March 31, 2018.

* Jan 25: SC asks Chhattisgarh HC to modify in 10 days its order directing all trial courts in the state to mandatorily accept copies of Aadhaar card for releasing an accused on bail.

* Feb 19: Delhi BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeks direction to EC to take appropriate steps to implement an ‘Aadhaar based election voting system’.

* Feb 21: SC says the alleged defect that citizens’ biometric details under the Aadhaar scheme were being collected without any law, could be cured by subsequently bringing a statute.

* Mar 7: SC says Aadhaar number not mandatory for enrolment of students in all India exams.

* Mar 13: SC extends March 31 deadline of Aadhaar linking till it gives its order.

* Mar 22: UIDAI CEO says breaking the Aadhaar encryption may take “more than the age of the universe for the fastest computer on earth”.

* Mar 28: Social activist Reshma Prasad seeks direction to the Centre to create a separate third gender category option on PAN cards for transgenders.

* Apr 3: Centre tells SC Aadhaar law is just, fair & reasonable.

* Apr 17: SC raises concerns that there is a threat of Aadhaar data misuse.

* Apr 25: SC questions Centre on mandatory seeding of Aadhaar with mobile.

* May 10: SC reserves verdict.

* Sep 26: SC upholds constitutional validity of Aadhaar but strikes down certain provisions including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.