Deadline for linking of Aadhaar to schemes extended to March 31, 2018
The deadline to have Aadhaar numbers linked to various government schemes has been extended, the central government told Supreme Court on Wednesday. The deadline was earlier until December, and has now been extended to March 31, 2018. The court is hearing a petition that contests the central government’s decision to have Unique Identification Numbers linked to bank accounts and mobile numbers. The main case challenging the mandatory Aadhaar scheme should be heard soon because although the government had extended deadline to March 31, it had not explicitly stated that no action would be taken against those unwilling to have it with bank accounts and mobile numbers, said Senior advocate Shyam Divan, who appeared for petitioners. "Final hearing of the matter is necessary. They can make a statement that they will not take course of action against those who don't want to link Aadhaar," Divan said. When the Attorney General said that he wanted to take instructions from the central government on certain issues, the court asked him to mention the case before it on Monday. -PTC News
