The UIDAI Wednesday termed the Supreme Court judgement, which upheld Aadhaar as a constitutionally valid scheme, as a victory. The Unique Identification Authority of India CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI that the 4:1 apex court judgement announced Wednesday is in favour of Aadhaar.


"It is 4:1 judgement in favour of Aadhaar. The court has declared Aadhaar constitutionally valid. It is a money bill. It can be used for pan card. It empowers poor and marginalised section. Aadhaar can be used for subsidies and government schemes so that there is no leakage of government funds. It can be used for income tax so that tax evasion and black money can be curbed," Pandey said.


The Supreme Court Wednesday declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The apex court's five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said Aadhaar is meant to help benefits reach the marginalised sections of the society and takes into account the dignity of people not only from personal but also from community point of view.


Justice Sikri struck down Section 57 of Aadhaar Act permitting private entities to avail Aadhaar data and ruled that Aadhaar authentication data cannot be stored for more than six months. Reacting to the court order of annulling section 57, Pandey said: "The court has restricted private usage (of Aadhaar) without any backing of Law. Same has been suggested by Justice Shrikrishna Committee". The top court said Aadhaar is serving much bigger public interest and Aadhaar means unique and it is better to be unique than being best. There are three sets of judgements being pronounced on the issue.

Benchmark Sensex settled with losses in a choppy session Wednesday as buying sentiment remained subdued amid liquidity concerns in the NBFC space.


Investors also remained on the sidelines ahead of US Federal Reserve's policy outcome as well as expiry of September derivative contracts Thursday, brokers said.


On the global front, crude oil traded above USD 81 per barrel while the trade spat between the US and China showed no signs of easing. The BSE Sensex tumbled 109.79 points to 36,542.27, and the broader NSE Nifty shed 13.65 to close at 11,053.80. IT and FMCG counters came under robust selling pressure, while stock-specific action was seen in banking and financial service sectors.


The 30-share Sensex touched a high of 36,938.74 at the outset after domestic investors pressed on with buying. However, it soon turned choppy and hit a low of 36,357.93. It finally closed lower by 109.79 points, or 0.30 per cent, at 36,542.27. The NSE Nifty closed lower by 13.65 points, or 0.12 per cent, at 11,053.80. Intra-day, it shuttled between 11,145.55 and 10,993.05. -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday alleged that the BJP was behind the killing of the two students in North Dinajpur district and is now trying to derive political mileage out of the issue by calling a bandh.


She blamed the BJP for trying to disturb peace during its 12-hour shutdown and praised the state administration for "foiling attempts" to disrupt normal life in Bengal.


Banerjee, who is in Italy's Milan on an official tour, termed the shutdown as a "complete failure" as the people of Bengal have rejected the "culture of shutdown and bandhs".


She asked police to act as per the law passed by the state Assembly which empowers the administration to seek compensation from political parties for losses and damages during political agitation or shutdown.


Attacking the BJP, she said, "They themselves (BJP) have killed two students and now are trying to derive political benefits from it. Why are they mum on farmers' suicides in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan? Why are they mum on the encounter killings in Uttar Pardesh?"


"If you are in politics then you have some responsibility towards the society. Being in politics doesn't mean that you can go scott free by unleashing violence," she said.


The chief minister claimed the attendance in government offices, schools is more than 95 per cent. The normal life has not at all been affected in the state.


"We are very much opposed to this culture of shutdown and bandh. This culture has ruined Bengal for the last so many years. Now BJP too is trying to follow this disruptive politics," she said. -- PTI

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Wednesday broke his silence on the charges of corruption levelled against him by the BJP and said the ruling party had been indulging in a "baseless political witch-hunt" against him for the last four years.   

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the Aadhaar verdict: "It is a historic order, Aadhaar's concept has been accepted after judicial  review. We welcome this decision of the Supreme Court.


"Congress cuts a very sorry figure here, they introduced the idea but they did not know what to do with it. Everyone who has been criticizing Aadhaar should understand that they cannot defy technology. Mainstream should accept changes, one can understand the fringe being against."


Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, also lauded the verdict saying it is a good and progressive judgement. "It will bring efficiency in the country. The Supreme Court has said that this (Aadhaar) has stood the test of constitutionality."


The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared the Centres flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but struck down some of its provisions including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra held that while Aadhaar would remain mandatory for filing of Income Tax returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number, it would not be mandatory to link Aadhaar to bank accounts and the telecom service providers cannot seek its linking for mobile connections. Read the full verdict here

Four children and a woman were killed and at least seven injured after a four-storey building collapsed in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar Wednesday, police said. The injured have been rushed to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital where a woman's condition is stated to be critical. The ground floor of the building housed a shop, which was closed while the first floor was vacant. A family lived on the second floor of the building. Two of the children, who were killed in the incident were brothers, aged around 10 years, and lived on the second floor. Two families were living on the third floor. The second family living on that floor lost its children -- a boy and his sister aged below five. The fourth floor was inhabited by a couple -- Narottam and Nisha. Nisha is critical, the police said. Some people are still feared trapped under the debris and rescue teams are working at the spot, the police said. -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed Wednesday the Supreme Court's verdict on Aadhaar, and termed it as a victory of the people. Banerjee is in Milan, Italy, where is on an official tour.


"Days of the BJP government are over in the country," the chief minister added. The apex court on Wednesday declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid, but struck down some of its provisions including linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions. -- PTI

Over 21.08 crore permanent account numbers (PANs) have been linked with Aadhaar till now, a latest data revealed as the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the linkage between the two databases Wednesday.


As per official figures accessed by PTI, a total of 21,08,16,676 PANs issued by the Income Tax Department have been linked with Aadhaar till Monday.


The total operational or issued PANs are over 41.02 crore as per the same timeline, the data said. "The deadline for the PAN-Aadhaar linking has already been extended by the CBDT to March 31 next year, as per an order issued on June 30 this year," a senior official said.


As per the latest data, out of the over 41.02 crore PANs issued, an overwhelming number of more than 40.01 crore PANs are held by individuals.


The rest are in the name of companies and other categories of tax payers, the official said, adding the figure reflects that about 50 per cent of the PANs have been linked with Aadhaar till now.


The deadline to link the two databases has been extended five times in the past in view of the apex court order to keep it open till a five-judge constitution bench delivers its judgment on petitions challenging the validity of the biometric scheme and the enabling law. That judgement came on Wednesday and the court has upheld the linking of the two databases. -- PTI

The BJP Wednesday described the Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar as a big victory for the "pro-poor Modi government", saying the apex court has upheld the constitutional validity of the scheme and asserted that it does not violate privacy.


BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also hit back at the Congress after it projected the verdict as a slap on the face of the ruling party, saying the order has in fact exposed the opposition party.


The Congress favoured middlemen while the Modi government brought Aadhaar to ensure that benefits are given directly to people, he said. That is why, Patra added, the Congress had moved the apex court against it. The court has ruled that Aadhaar is safe, he said.


"We see it as a big victory of the Modi government, the pro-poor Modi government. The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and has also said that it does not violate privacy," Patra said.


He said the court has noted that Aadhaar gives strength to the poor. The Supreme Court like the Modi government has stood with the poor of the country, the BJP leader said.


A majority verdict by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A K Sikri and A M Khanwilkar declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme constitutionally valid but struck down some of its provisions, including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.


The top court said Aadhaar serves a bigger public interest. Aadhaar means unique and it is better to be unique than be the best, it said. -- PTI

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India, saying the petition was "devoid of merits".


A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said "We are of the view that it is not the stage to interfere (with the appointment)."


The petition against Justice Gogoi's appointment as the next CJI was filed by two lawyers. In their plea, advocates R P Luthra and Satyaveer Sharma had said they were seeking adjudication of the question of law relying on the contents of the press conference of January 12, called by four senior judges (Justices Chelameswar (since retd), Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph) of the apex court.


The plea had said the petitioners were also relying on an undated letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India and circulated by the four apex court judges.


"This act of the four senior-most judges of the court was not less than a sabotage to the judicial system of the country. They tried to arouse public furore in the country in the names of certain internal differences in this court," the plea had alleged. -- PTI


Image: Justice Ranjan Gogoi, right, with now retired Supreme Court Justice Jasti Chelameswar.

SC agrees to live-streaming of court proceedings. Says, "sunlight is the best disinfectant," while allowing live streaming of court proceedings. The court said necessary rules for balancing rights of public and protecting dignity of litigants will be placed soon. "Live-streaming of court proceedings will effectuate "public right to know" and bring in more transparency in judicial proceedings," the apex court said.

This is Justice Ashok Bhushan's judgment.

There are three sets of judgments being pronounced on the issue.
The first of the three verdicts was pronounced by Justice A K Sikri who wrote the judgment for himself, CJI Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar.

Justice Ashok Bhushan concurred with the majority verdict, while Justice Chandrachud dissented.

Justice Bhushan said:

-- Aadhaar Act does not create a framework for surveillance.

-- Agreed with the view that there was no need to seed Aadhaar with mobile numbers.

-- The decision of terming Aadhaar Act as Money Bill was not open to judicial review.

-- Seeking biometric details does not violate right to privacy.

In a 4:1 majority judgment, the apex court's five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra declared the Centres flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The bench said it is meant to help benefits reach the marginalised sections of the society and takes into account the dignity of people not only from personal but also from community point of view.

There are three sets of judgments being pronounced on the issue.

The first of the three verdicts was pronounced by Justice A K Sikri who wrote the judgment for himself, the CJI and Justice A M Khanwilkar.

Justice Ashok Bhushan concurs with the majority verdict of CJI, Justices Sikri and Khanwilkar, but Justice DY  Chandrachud dissents, striking  down Aadhaar.  He said in the current form Aadhaar Act cannot be held to be Constitutional.

This is what Justice Chandrachud says:

Security concerns: -- Constitutional guarantees cannot be left to risks posed by technological advancements.

--  Absence of indepedent regulatory framework compromises data protection.

-- Aadhaar Act therefore cannot pass tests under Article 14.

-- Allowing private players to use Aadhaar will lead to profiling which could be used in ascertaining political views etc of citizens.


-- Mandating Aadhaar for benefits and services under Section 7 would lead to a situation in which citizens will not be able to live without Aadhaar. Hence, Section 7 is arbitrary and unconstitutional.

-- Justice Chandrachud comes down on Central government for passing notifications on Aadhaar in violation of interim orders of SC.

-- Propriety demands that Centre should have approached this Court for variation of its orders.

-- Enactment of Aadhaar Act does not save the Aadhaar scheme of the Centre. Bypassing Rajya Sabha to pass Aadhaar Act amounts to subterfuge.

-- Justice Chandrachud favours deletion of consumers' Aadhaar data by mobile service providers.

Justice DY Chandrachud dissents on Aadhaar Act as money bill. The decision to treat a bill as a money bill is amenable to judicial review, Justice Chandrachud says. Passing of the Aadhaar Act as money bill when it does not qualify as a money bill is a fraud on Constitution, violates basic structure.


A Money Bill refers to a bill (draft law) introduced in the Lok Sabha which generally covers the issue of receipt and spending of money, such as tax laws, laws governing borrowing and expenditure of the Government, prevention of black money etc.

Aadhaar verdict: The Supreme Court says:

On Aadhaar security: -- There is no possibility of obtaining a duplicate Aadhaar card. 

-- There is sufficient defence mechanism for authentication in Aadhaar scheme.

-- Robust data protection regime has to be brought in place as early as possible,

-- SC says Aadhaar authentication data cannot be stored for more than six months.

-- SC says there  is nothing in Aadhaar Act that violates right to privacy of individual.


The court also says the concept of human dignity has been enlarged in the judgement.

The Constitution Bench also strikes down the National security exception under the Aadhaar Act. 

The court directs the government not to give Aadhaar to illegal immigrants. 

It also says no child can be denied benefits of any schemes on not being able to bring their Aadhaar number. 

This is very important: The Court upholds Section 139AA mandating linkage with PAN.


The Supreme Court has said that Aadhaar cannot be mandated for opening of bank accounts.


Aadhaar cannot be mandatory for mobile connections; DoT notification to that effect unconstitutional. 

Aadhaar verdict: Benefits and services under Section 7 should be of the nature of welfare schemes targeted at a particular deprived community. CBSE, NEET etc cannot mandate Aadhaar.


Supreme Court turns down argument on exclusion. Lot of people who will benefit due to inclusion cannot be denied due to exclusion of few; can't throw baby out with bathwater, the Supreme Court said.


School admissions not a benefit under Section 7, Aadhaar cannot be mandated for the same, Supreme Court. NO child shall be denied benefits for want of Aadhaar, which means Aadhaar not compulsory for school admissions.


Aadhaar can be passed as a money bill.


Bank account linking to Aadhaar cards has been set aside -- this includes both private and public sector banks, but Pan card linking to Aadhaar cards  has been upheld.

The Supreme Court Wednesday declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The apex court's five-judge Constitution bench said Aadhaar means unique and it is better to be unique than being best. The first of the three judgements was pronounced by Justice A K Sikri. Justice Sikri pronounced the judgement for himself, Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar.


However, Section 57 of Aadhaar Act which enables corporate bodies to seek authentication is unconstitutional, says the Supreme Court. This means private entities like cellphone companies, mutual fund companies, private schools, private hospitals, cannot ask for Aadhaar validation.

The Supreme Court has declared that Aadhaar is Constitutionally valid. Justice AK Sikri has authored the judgement on behalf of him, CJI Dipak Misra and Justice Khanwilkar. Justice Chandrachud and Justice A Bhushan have written their individual opinions.


Excerpts of the court observations.


Supreme Court Justice Sikri while reading out verdict on constitutional validity of Aadhaar said there is a fundamental difference between Aadhaar card and identity. Once the bio-metric information is stored, it remains in the system. Justice Sikri said it is secure and there is no possibility of obtaining a duplicate card. He said Aadhaar gives identitity to the poor.



-- It is better to be unique than being best; Aadhaar means Unique.

-- Attack on Aadhaar by petitioners is based on violation of rights, will lead to a surveillance State.

-- SC says there has been minimal demographic and biometric data collected by UIDAI for Aadhaar enrollment.

-- Unique identification proof also empowers and gives identity to marginalised sections of society, says SC.


The five-judge bench is hearing the case on May 10 after a 38-day hearing.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court has said there is no need for a SC/ST quota in promotions to government employees. The bench also said there is no need for a seven-judge bench to reconsider the court's 2006 judgment which had placed conditions for granting quota benefits in job promotions to SC/ST employees. 


A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra pronounced the verdict. The bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman, SK Kaul and Indu Malhotra, had reserved its verdict on August 30 after hearing various stakeholders, including the Centre, on the matter.


A five-judge Constitution Bench, in its 2006 verdict in the M Nagraj case, had said the states are bound to provide quantifiable data on the backwardness of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the facts about their inadequate representation in government jobs and the overall administrative efficiency, before providing quota in promotions to members of these communities.


The court today said that the 2006 verdict in the Nagraj case putting conditions for granting quota in job promotions for SC/STs need not be referred to 7 judges. The court also turns down the Centre's plea that overall population of SC/ST be considered for granting quota for them. It said states need not collect quantifiable data on backwardness of SC/ST for giving quota in job promotion to SC/ST employees.


The court did not comment on two other conditions given in 2006 verdict which dealt with adequacy of representation of SC/ST in promotion. MOre details awaited.

The benchmark Sensex turned choppy after surging over 200 points in early trade Wednesday, ahead of US Federal Reserve's policy outcome due later in the day amid mixed global cues. Investors were cautious ahead of the expiry of September derivative contracts Thursday.


The BSE 30-share barometer slipped in the negative terrain after advancing 200.76 points. It was trading 39.75 points lower at 36,612. The gauge had gained 347.04 points in the previous session. The NSE Nifty fell to 11,068.


FMCG, oil and gas and IT stocks led the decline in the market. While, metal and pharma shares led the gainers' pack.


On Sensex, Wipro, ITC, HUL, ONGC, Kotak Bank, Maruti and Tata Motors were among the top losers, falling up to 2 per cent. On the other hand, Yes Bank emerged top gainer by rising 2.34 per cent after the board on Tuesday sought at least a three-month extension for MD and CEO, Rana Kapoor, from RBI beyond January 31, 2019.


Other gainers include Tata Steel, M&M, Axis Bank, Sun Pharma, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel and HDFC, rising up to 1.73 per cent. Brokers said investor sentiment turned choppy on selling by foreign institutional investors ahead of the September month derivatives expiry Thursday. Investors were also awaited policy cues from the US Federal Reserve, which is widely expected to raise interest rates, they added. -- PTI

If a report in the Times of India is true then Saina Nehwal, and Parupalli Kashyap, India's badminton stars, will be tying the knot in December. 

Police have arrested 24 bandh supporters from Bagdogra and Naxalbari areas. BJP has called for a 12-hour bandh in West Bengal today, in protest against the death of two students in a clash with police in North Dinajpur's Islampur 

Convicted five months ago of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former university basketball administrator, Cosby showed no reaction when Judge Steven O'Neill handed down the sentence in a court in Norristown, Pennsylvania.  -- Agencies

In a bizzare incident, a drunk passenger tried to enter the cockpit of a Kolkata-bound IndiGo plane on Monday on the pretext of charging his mobile phone, according to a police official.