Cloaking 'Aadhaar' with the sanctity of a law on disputable grounds
The government of India has tabled the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha. The proposed legislation seeks to give a legal basis for issuing Aadhaar = Unique Identity Number for every person residing in India for at least half the number of days of a 12 month period immediately preceding the date on which he/she seeks enrollment under Aadhaar. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will be the key institution responsible for implementing this law across the country (except in J&K). Demographic data such as name, date of birth, address and other details along with biometric information such as photo, fingerprints and iris scan will be collected, databased and preserved by the UIDAI for authentication purposes in future. This exercise begun under an executive resolution of the Central Government has databased more than 900 million people already.
Interestingly, Clause 9 of the Bill makes it clear that Aadhaar will not be proof of citizenship or domicile (permanent residential status) for any person enrolled under this law. It will also not cover people residing in Jammu & Kashmir.