Long back, maybe more than 10 years back I had written a letter to the NIE. The title was 'Is the judiciary taking the citizens for a ride?' And thank God they had published it under the same heading. It remains valid even now. What with Adhaar being made mandatory for PAN which is mandatory for bank accounts. Now coming to my personal experience. I had resisted registering for Adhaar since I am aware that many developed countries like US of A, UK and Australia had given up such a scheme because of two factors: right to privacy and cost. And I also know that in our country the government has not been been able to issue ration cards correctly though it has been in existence since the country became free from the colonial yoke. And then the government struck- no pension if pension account is not linked to adhaar! I registered and got my UID. Within two months I got two wrong notifications through e mail about transactions done by one Ravi Kumar Ojha, though the UID quoted was wrong! No notification through SMS though my mobile number is mentioned in the card issued to me! Apart from linking my email address with Ravi Kumar Ojha's card details the question also remained whether Ravi Kumar Ojha himself would have received the alerts. Complaints to UIDAI has not evoked any positive responses and there has been no response at all from the the concerned minister too.

Now cut to life certificates. Last year I had submitted by life certificate digitally at the bank. Two days back there was call from the bank which was attended by another senior citizen. They wanted my adhaar details. I sought clarification and was told that my adhaar had only year of birth and it did not tally with the date of birth in the KYC record and hence I have to get my date of birth included in my adhaar!

Now I am really pulling my hairs asking who the idiot it was who approved the format for adhaar and why s/he went for only year of birth and not date of birth and also why the hell could the banking software just tally the year of birth instead of asking the ordinary citizens to run after the public servants for no fault of theirs!

Coming to the current decision of the apex court. If my memory serves me correct the first petition against making adhaar mandatory was filed in 2012. And the apex court had been sitting on it even while the executive was unabashedly making it mandatory for one thing after the other. And Reliance Jio has all its subscribers being provided service only on the basis of adhaar! And now the court says that private cos shoudl not ask adhaar details!

One of the saddest days for Indian judiciary that it did not consider banning govt making Aadhar mandatory. Now govt will have Aadhar for all citizens. Just make IT filing mandatory for everyone earning more than 1 lakh. Those who earn less anyway need Aadhar to get subsidies.

Can not image how LS thinks that RS does not represent people.

Thanks to S C and also thanks to Moneylife for unrelenting crusade carried out agasint the draconian provisions of Aadhaaar. A few of their objections have been upheld by the apex court by majority judgement. However, a silver lining for full victory to abolish Aadhaar is till ther in what Justice Chandrachud has said in his minority judgment. Perhaps in next few years, the Apex court may itself review and uphold the unconstitutionality of the Aadhaar Act itself which was passed as MONEY BILL in lower house of parliament.

These are all intellectual gymnastics, a field for the benefit of lawyers. Except for his bedroom, a common man has no privacy to worry about. Aadhaar or no Aadhaar, we have nothing to worry about. Only the wrong-doers have things to conceal and, hence, privacy.