Aadhaar Is Not A Proof Of Citizenship, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju Informs Lok Sabha

Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Kiren Rijiju (Photo: Getty)

New Delhi: Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The Lok Sabha was informed that third parties and government authorities will have no access to the link between Aadhaar and voter identity cards, news agency PTI reported. 

Kiren Rijiju responded to a written question on whether there is such a possibility and if there are products to approve or reject access. He said, "No such link will be created," according to a PTI report.

Responding to a query on the rationale given by the government for using Aadhaar as a "legitimate means to authenticate citizenship" and whether the government has formulated a protocol to authenticate citizenship using Aadhaar, Rijiju said that Aadhaar is not the proof of citizenship, according to the report.

Responding to a separate question during the Question Hour, the Law Minister said that it is difficult to put a cap or regulate the "exorbitant" fees charged by some of the lawyers in the country but efforts are on to encourage good lawyers to take up cases of needy free of cost or at minimum fees, a PTI report said.

Recently, the Parliament passed a bill to link the Aadhaar database with voter rolls to eliminate duplicate entries.

The Income Tax Department (ITD) extended the deadline of linking PAN with Aadhaar until March 31, 2022. 

After March 31, PAN cards, which are not linked to Aadhaar cards, would be declared inoperative.

Also, a penalty of Rs 10,000 can also be levied upon defaulter each time the individual fails to furnish PAN card details.

The central government has made it compulsory to link PAN with Aadhaar in order to make things transparent, especially during financial transactions.