Aadhaar should not be forced on people

The Centre now seems desperate to promote the Aadhaar card in every way possible, though the BJP had opposed the biometric verification system while it was in Opposition three years ago. While a change of thinking isn’t wrong, what we see is a total reversal — with the executive trying to use Aadhaar as proof in many areas, including in registering property sales. The card has done wonders in detecting and stemming systemic leaks: using Aadhaar in the direct benefit transfer system has saved thousands of crores in welfare rupees. But where the government is going wrong in its overzealous approach, in trying to make the Aadhaar card mandatory in almost everything a citizen wishes to do.

To insist on Aadhaar for rail bookings is ridiculous as a way to promote it as proof of identity. One needn’t be an Indian citizen to book travel tickets, just as Indians abroad need no national identity card to buy tickets for the same purpose. This idea flies in the face of logic and must be discontinued immediately, before the courts step in and take umbrage at the continuous attempts to defy its ruling that Aadhaar can’t be the only proof of identity or citizenship. In fact, Aadhaar can’t be used as ID to vote in any election. To its credit, the system has helped speed up the disbursement of funds from government schemes, particularly the subsidy on cooking gas. But here again, the executive can’t insist that pensioners be compelled to produce the card as they may well choose to take their pensions by snail mail, if need be. Pension is a right, and not a dole from a welfare scheme. The point is that Aadhaar shouldn’t be thrust upon the people until the Supreme Court is convinced the legality issue has been fully addressed.

The Supreme Court has made it clear that “the Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary, and it cannot be made mandatory till the matter is finally decided by this court one way or the other”. Concerns over privacy were paramount in the arguments against the Aadhaar card. However, the court has ruled that the database can be used in criminal investigations. The point is that the system has been so abused as to have brought about an instance in which a Pakistani spy was able to flaunt the card. Apart from such illegally-obtained identity documents, duplication has caused such a huge problem that the mandating of Aadhaar card for property deals and other such matters can be self-defeating. Until the system is completely cleansed of its glitches, there is little need for the government to promote Aadhaar as the defining ID. Make haste slowly would be our advice in this matter.