March 31 Deadline For Aadhaar Linking May Get Extended, Govt Suggests

The central government has hinted that the March 31 deadline for Aadhaar linkage may get extended if it is required.

The central government has hinted that the March 31 deadline for Aadhaar linkage may get extended if it is required.

After petitioners challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar scheme sought an extension of the deadline, attorney general K.K.Venugopal told the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court that the centre had extended the deadline in the past and can do it again.

The petitioners said the deadline was nearing and the cases against Aadhar were unlikely to be decided by March 31.

On December 15 last year, the apex court had directed the extension of deadline till March 31 for the linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phones.

The constitution bench is hearing challenges to the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme on the touchstone of the fundamental right to privacy on a bunch of petitions by former Karnataka High Court Judge K.S. Puttuswamy, Magsaysay awardee Shanta Sinha, feminist researcher Kalyani Sen Menon and others.

(With IANS inputs)