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Hailing the Supreme Court’s Aadhaar verdict as “historic”, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday that the opposition Congress had cut “a very sorry figure” after the apex court upheld the core of national biometric ID programme, which, he claimed, had helped save ₹90,000 crore every year by plugging leakages in welfare schemes.
Jaitley, who said he had not read the full judgment, said his understanding of the verdict was that the Supreme Court had barred the use of the 12-digit unique identification number by private entities like mobile phone firms in absence of a legislative backing for that.
“Section 57 (of the Aadhaar Act that has been struck down by the Supreme Court) says that there can be special enabling power to allow other entities or body corporate (to use Aadhaar). I can give you my information (about the judgement). That is not permissible unless it is backed up by law. That seems to be the spirit of the judgment,” he said.
When asked about the requirement of linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phones, Jaitley reiterated that he had not read the judgment.
“It is a historic judgement and the whole concept of unique identity number that has been accepted after judicial review is an extremely welcome decision,” Jaitley told a news conference here.
He said the court has also upheld that the Aadhaar legislation, which mandated assigning unique identification number of Indian citizens, was a Money Bill.
‘Cong cut a sorry figure’
Responding to the Congress charge that the apex court deleting private usage of Aadhaar is a “slap” on government’s face, Jaitley said the opposition party when it was in power brought in the ID programme without any legislative backing and without specifying what it was meant for.
“Obviously, the Congress party cuts a very sorry figure. They introduced the idea and then did not know what to do with it....The version they had drafted was there shall be an Aadhaar card...what it will be used for was unclear from the beginning. Now you do not need an Aadhaar card which is not to be used for a particular purpose.”
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