‘Our’ Aadhaar was compatible with right to privacy: Congress

There was a barrage of political comments soon after the Supreme Court ruling on the right to privacy, with the strongest critique of the government emanating from the Congress quarters.

Describing the SC judgement as “landmark”, the Congress fielded former Finance Minister P Chidambaram to assert that not only is the verdict a setback for the government’s position that the right to privacy is not a fundamental right, it also underlines serious concerns about the way Aadhaar is being interpreted and executed.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: “The SC verdict heralds a new era for individual rights, personal liberty and human dignity. It strikes a blow on the unbridled encroachment and surveillance by the State and its agencies in the life of the common man.”

Simultaneously, Left parties and activists too hailed the judgement as “historic” and relevant at a time when concerns have been raised about inadequacy of legal protection to individual privacy, threat of mass surveillance and the weakening of national security.

Addressing a press conference, Chidambaram and Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala welcomed today’s verdict and said it will rank among the most important judgments delivered by the Supreme Court since the advent of the Constitution.

“The most important fundamental right of a citizen is embodied in Article 21 of the Constitution. It is the right to life and liberty. Civilised societies will breathe meaning into that precious right and guard against any erosion of that right. Privacy is at the core of personal liberty. In fact, privacy is an inalienable part of lifeitself. By virtue of the judgment of the Supreme Court, Article 21 has acquired a new magnificence,” he said. Answering questions on Aadhaar, which was conceptualised and implemented during the UPA’s tenure, Chidambaram said: “The Aadhaar that we had conceived was perfectly compatible with the right to privacy. It is not Aadhaar that is inconsistent with the right to privacy. It is the interpretation of this government of Article 21 which is an invasion of the right to privacy. It is the current government which argued that there is no fundamental right to privacy.”

He also ridiculed the BJP-led government’s enlargement of the scope of Aadhaar.

“…Aadhaar was intended to ensure that when government benefits are distributed, there is no leakage, duplication or falsification. But Aadhaar cannot become the be-all and end-all of all administrative issues. This government’s approach to Aadhaar is completely different from our government’s approach. Did we ever say that Aadhaar will be necessary to buy train tickets or admitting your child to school?” he said.

Calling the SC verdict a setback to the government, he said: “It is obviously a setback because the highest law officers of the government did argue that there is no fundamental right to privacy. A unanimous verdict of nine honourable judges has held that it is a fundamental right.”

The Politburo of the CPI(M) too welcomed the verdict, saying it should pave the way to protect, in this world of technological advance dominated by corporates, the misuse of private data and infringement of privacy of individuals.

CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy said the right to privacy is accepted as a fundamental right in most advanced countries.

“The government on one hand declares that Aadhaar is not compulsory. But slowly, bank accounts, income-tax returns, social security benefits and pensions are linked to Aadhaar. We hope this landmark judgment will have a positive effect,” said Reddy.

The ruling is a “slap on the face of the NDA government”, he added.