Aadhaar verdict: As the Supreme Court on Wednesday uphold the constitutional validity of Aadhaar Card and said that it empowers marginalised sections of the society and gives them identity, which outweighs the harm. In response to the petition which argued its validity raising questions on violation of privacy, a five-judge bench termed the national identity card as ‘constitutionally valid’. The top court also said that Aadhaar has become a very important matter of identity of every individual in the country and also directed the government to “introduce strong data protection law as soon as possible.” The judges, however, have put in place a series of conditions with regards to the need of Aadhaar Card for certain services.

While Aadhaar will not be mandatory for opening bank accounts or getting admission in schools and colleges, but will be a must to file an income tax returns. As per the new directed by the apex court, Aadhaar will also be mandatory for obtaining a Permanent Account Number (PAN). This clearly means that Aadhaar card would be mandatory for all income-tax related transactions.

The Supreme Court in its detailed verdict earlier today also mentioned that individuals and corporates cannot collect Aadhaar data. The controversial section 33(2) of the Aadhaar Act, an exception to the primacy of security of data in case of national security, has also been revoked by the Supreme Court.

PM Narendra Modi's flagship Aadhaar scheme has been deferended by the Central government on several grounds. The government crowned it as the biggest proof to ensured proper distribution of benefits to millions and prevent misuse of funds. Aadhaar data is safe and cannot be breached, insisted the government and the Aadhaar authority UIDAI.