Statements, press releases, analysis
Press releases, statements, news commentary and analysis from the campaign archive — newest first. Subscribe via RSS.
Posted from 2017 · ongoing
14 May 2026
We demand accountability and urgent structural action. The Right to Food Campaign and Rethink Aadhaar Campaign present a four-member fact-finding report on the institutional neglect that left Jitu Munda, an Adivasi from Keonjhar, Odisha, with no choice but to carry his deceased sister's skeletal remains to a bank to access their joint savings.
30 Apr 2026
Jeetu Munda, an Adivasi from Odisha’s Mallipasi village in Keonjhar felt no choice but to exhume and carry his sister Kalra Munda’s skeletal remains to prove to the bank that she was no more. Munda’s sister had passed away three months earlier in January. Her husband and child had also died earlie
5 Jan 2026
Till the last weeks of 2025, resistance to forced digitisation and coercion continued – in the form of litigation by anganwadi workers in the Bombay High Court, by government teachers in Maharashtra and a powerful strike by over 2 lakh gig workers .
30 Oct 2025
The UK government advertised its own digital ID card with claims that the switch to Aadhar saved India’s government over $10bn each year, a dubious claim that has never been proven , in the backdrop of Mankadia’s death is the fact that the Odisha government and the Union government are
28 Oct 2025
In light of numerous instances of APAAR ID exclusion and fresh coercion being reported, we are re-posting our update from January 2025 on the subject. (Cover image: roadscholarz.net)
24 Oct 2025
As Indian government tries to promote its model of biometric ID model to other regions, a growing list of articles and reports documenting the risks of Aadhaar :
1 Sep 2025
A detailed investigation into the working of an Aadhaar Seva Kendra in Ranchi illustrates the bureaucratic ordeals imposed on people trying to update or enrol in Aadhaar. Assam’s government announced it will stop issuing Aadhaar numbers to adults to prevent non-Indian citizens from
25 Jul 2025
Despite being the most widely held identity document in the country, Aadhaar has been excluded from the list of 11 documents officially prescribed by the ECI in Bihar for residence or identity verification. This surfaces a tension. What are the implications of treating Aadhaar as a primary
11 Jul 2025
The SC suggested the government may consider Aadhaar as one of valid documents in Bihar voter roll exercise. Aadhaar is not a citizen ID, it continues to cause mass exclusions, privacy harms. There must be a clear separation between Aadhaar as a voluntary ID and it being a prerequisite to access any
7 Jul 2025
Rethink Aadhaar expresses deep concern about the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision , dated June 24, 2025, to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The revision introduces documentation requirements that are likely to result in the large-scale exclus
22 Jun 2025
In spite of all the reports of hardship and exclusion as well as continuing fraud from the use of Aadhaar, the government keeps expanding its scope and making it mandatory for legal entitlements as well. We are sharing a round-up of recent developments. We urge you to share these updates with your n
5 Apr 2025
Voter ID-Aadhaar linking is an outright assault on free and fair elections and the right to vote It violates Election Commission’s 2023 promise in court, and is yet another coercive enrolment scheme. The right to vote lies at the heart of democracy. Yet, the Election Commission of India’s prop
8 Mar 2025
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had invited comments on the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025. The Rules were framed and put in public domain almost 1.5 years after the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 was passed by Parliament. The drafting of the Ru
25 Jan 2025
The draft rules of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act were released in January 2025, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) has given time till 18 February 2025 for the public to submit comments on the same. The DPDP Act will have significant implications for a rang
12 Dec 2024
Press Release KYC Epidemic in Jharkhand Deprives Poor People of their Own Money (and also affects Jharkhand’s new “Maiya Yojana) Countless people in Jharkhand are unable to withdraw money from their bank accounts because the accounts have been frozen until they complete “KYC” formal
4 Oct 2023
26.09.2023 को सुप्रीम कोर्ट की संविधान पीठ द्वारा आधार निर्णय (के एस पुट्टास्वामी और अन्य बनाम भारत संघ और अन्य (2019) 1 एससीसी 1) को सुनाए हुए आधा दशक हो गया है। ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि एक सुविधाजनक भूलने की बीमारी हमारी सरकार को प्रभावित करती है क्योंकि यह आधार अधिनियम में नए नियम और ऐसे संशोधन बनाती है जो उस निर्णय
27 Sep 2023
Today 26.09.2023, marks half a decade since a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court delivered the Aadhaar judgment (KS Puttaswamy & Anr. v. Union of India & Anr. (2019) 1 SCC 1). It appears that a convenient amnesia affects our government as it creates new rules and amendments to the Aadhaar Act that ignore and
19 Apr 2023
फैक्ट फाइंडिंग टीम ने यह भी पाया कि बच्चे के परिवार को 21 महीने से पीडीएस के माध्यम से राशन नहीं मिला था. अर्जुन की मां तुलसी यह नहीं समझ पा रही थीं कि उनका राशन कार्ड क्यों रद्द कर दिया गया था, टीम ने पाया कि उनके नाम की वर्तनी आधार कार्ड और उनके राशन कार्ड पर अलग-अलग लिखी गई थी, जिससे संभवतः राशन
19 Apr 2023
In the last few years of documenting and collecting information about the Aadhaar project we have witnessed the impact of mandatory Aadhaar which has grievously, disproportionately and cruelly affected those who are poor, marginalised, or vulnerable. Many will remember the death of a young child Santoshi in 2017 whose
5 May 2022
Dear all, We are pleased to announce our partnership with the good folks at One Vote to bring you more news, updates and thoughts about Aadhaar, and how we can reimagine our digital futures.This update focuses on two things we’re worried about: the proposed Aadhaar Voter-ID linkage, a
11 Apr 2022
On April 6th, 2022, the Comptroller & Auditor General released a Report on the functioning of the UIDAI which confirmed what scholars, activists have been warning about Aadhaar: it is a badly designed system, with immense surveillance risks, which places an unacceptable burden on people,
19 Dec 2021
Rethink Aadhaar joins thirteen other prominent civil rights, electoral reform, academic and digital rights groups including the Association for Democratic Reforms, Bahujan Economists, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, the Internet Freedom Foundation, MKSS and National Alliance of People’s Move
26 Sep 2021
September 26, 2021 Three years ago today, on September 26, 2018, the Supreme Court of India delivered its final judgment in the cases challenging the constitutionality of the Aadhaar/UID programme. In its judgment, the Court circumscribed the Aadhaar project’s scope to a limited number o
29 Apr 2021
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on India, as the second wave of the pandemic continues to ravage India's health infrastructure. In such desperate times, ensuring equitable, fast and easy access to healthcare, medicines and the vaccines is fundamental. Rethink Aadhaar joins the Internet Freedom Foundati
14 Apr 2021
Join human rights and digital rights organisations and individuals across India, including those from the public health community in expressing their deep concern on the National Health Authority’s plans to use facial recognition for “contactless” COVID-19 vaccine delivery . Sign on here !
27 Feb 2021
COVID-19, Co-WIN and curtailing the constant hunger for data In this round-up of Aadhaar related updates, we cover the issues related to Aadhaar and vaccine delivery; the continued expansion of Aadhaar; what’s wrong with the proposed ONOR scheme (a lot); how Kerala is forcing Aadhaar upon people who want to access
9 Feb 2021
On January 16, 2020, the Government of India initiated a country-wide COVID vaccination drive, which will be facilitated via the COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN). Rethink Aadhaar is concerned that the requirement in the Co-WIN vaccine delivery system, that Aadhaar authenti
25 Nov 2020
Aadhaar-based Scholarships Scam in Jharkhand Shows How Aadhaar Leaks Public Funds, Deprives Citizens In a recent investigation of scholarship schemes in Jharkhand, Many ways to dupe a poor student , the Indian Express brought to light how social security benefits be
2 Oct 2020
Date: 2nd October, 2020 Press Release Launch of the Jury Report from the People’s Tribunal on Aadhaar-related Issues In August 1906, the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance was signed into law in the Transvaal, in South Africa. It was a humiliating and discriminating law, forci
28 Sep 2020
Despite the Supreme Court's order, the use of Aadhaar continues to proliferate, causing hardship, exclusion and shoring up the surveillance capabilities of the state.
9 Sep 2020
On 27th August 2020, the Government of Odisha rolled back its plans to link Aadhaar to social pensions, clarifying in a notification that Aadhaar numbers were not needed for pensions in this round, stating that “Aadhaar collection is an ongoing process”. The order followed sustained advo
25 Aug 2020
Rethink Aadhaar stands in solidarity with JSA Rajasthan , JSA Mumbai and JSA Maharashtra, to condemn the recent decisions taken by state governments to mandate Aadhaar for drugs in Maharashtra and for COVID-19 tests in Rajasthan. On 29 July 2020, the medical and health department of Ra
24 Aug 2020
Rethink Aadhaar and Article 21 Trust anchored a Session on Technology and Surveillance at the Janta Parliament on 18 August 2020. At the sixth session of the Janta Parliament, the House resolved to urge the government to frame a people-centric digital rights law upholding “people’s right to p
9 Aug 2020
Rethink Aadhaar joins the Right to Food campaign, Odisha to condemn the Odisha Government’s decision to restrict the payment of social security pensions to those whose accounts are “Aadhaar verified,” and to make the payments to those who can show Aadhaar “cards” as proof of identification. More
7 Aug 2020
Rethink Aadhaar and the Article 21 Trust condemn the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020 released yesterday, which expand the permissible uses for Aadhaar authentication, for good governance, to "prevent dissipation of social welfare
14 Jul 2020
Rethink Aadhaar stands in solidarity with the findings of Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhiyan , on the tragic death of Dukhi Jani, a 46 year old tribal woman due to chronic starvation, and calls on authorities in Odisha to institute an enquiry into the circumstances of her death, as it appears to be a
29 Jun 2020
Last week, Kalyani Menon Sen, a citizen, and petitioner in the batch of writ petitions challenging the constitutionality of Aadhaar in KS Puttaswamy v Union of India (2019 10 SCC 1) sent the Government of Kerala a legal notice demanding that it withdraw a recent order mandating compulsory Aadhaa
4 Mar 2020
Rethink Aadhaar condemns the Delhi govt mandating quoting of riot victims’ Aadhaar numbers on the compensation forms.
19 Feb 2020
A host of grassroots campaigns and movements, including Rethink Aadhaar, are organising a People’s Tribunal on Aadhaar-related issues in Delhi on February 29 and March 1, 2020 . Please see the note below for details; you can also visit the event pa
28 Nov 2019
In a display of cultivated ignorance, the authors of a recent article (‘ A hundred small steps ’, IE, September 26) cite only their self-sponsored friendly research, blissfully ignoring independent research that has raised troubling questions about ignoring viable PDS portability solutions in favour
13 Oct 2019
According to news reports, 18,66,803 (approx. 19 lakh) beneficiaries whose Aadhaar numbers were not seeded to their PDS ration cards have been declared bogus. This follows the Odisha government’s Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Department making linking of Aadhaar numbers with ration cards mand
1 Oct 2019
Last year, we created the Article 21 Trust as an engine that could power further struggles to counter the impact of Aadhaar and other civil technologies on human rights – in particular the right to life, liberty, and livelihood (as the name of the Trust might suggest). Article 21 will support Rethin
1 Oct 2019
The Finance Ministry has yet again extended the deadline by which people can link their Aadhaar numbers to PAN, until December 31, 2019. Rethink Aadhaar maintains that such linking is disproportionate and unconstitutional. A challenge to such linking is being heard in the Karnataka High Court wherei
25 Jul 2019
On July 16, the Delhi High Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI), to consider a plea for an Aadhaar-based voting system, in response to a PIL filed by BJP member Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. The petition “proposes an e-voting system using fingerprint and face biometric” and, for that purp
19 Jul 2019
While the government is trying hard to crush every voice against Aadhaar, one person from Mumbai not only fought, but also won against the government's mandatory linking policy. Hear Mr Ramesh Kurhade of Mumbai Port Trust as he shares the story of his unwavering fight against Aadhaar. A number of c
6 Jul 2019
We are alarmed and concerned at the government’s vision to collate comprehensive, exhaustive data about every citizen and making it available for commercial use by private entities as stated in the budget document the Economic Survey 2018-19 published on July 4. Chapter 4 of the Economic Survey (a b
27 Jun 2019
Rethink Aadhaar has been reaching out to several Members of Parliament (MPs) requesting them to demand that the Bill be sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, so as to ensure a thorough public consultation. Yet, while the government insists "Indians have accepted Aadhaar" - and enjoys
6 Mar 2019
While we continue to wait for a favorable review of the judgement upholding PAN-Aadhaar linking, many citizens are opposing this rule in the spirit of civil disobedience against enrolling in a project which poses a lifelong threat for one’s personal security. There is much evidence that raises
2 Mar 2019
Late in the evening of February 28, 2019, in the midst of a critical situation at the Indian border, the Central Government issued the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 , which seeks to revive the commercial use of the biometrics-linked 12-digit Aadhaar number which the Supreme
1 Mar 2019
Hundreds of Adivasis of several villages of Jharkhand’s Khuntpani block (West Singhbhum district) protested at the block administration’s office on February 28 against the denial of ration, use of Aadhaar and other irregularities in the Public Distribution System. Ration has not been distributed i
28 Feb 2019
Some of you might already be clued in on what our politicians are planning for their election manifestos. In terms of Aadhaar, while there may not be any immediately positive indications, efforts are underway to push parties to take a stated stance to at least ensure that Aadhaar is purely a volunta
13 Feb 2019
The memorandum related to the problems has been given to the SDM of the Tehsil by Rita, Ayesha, Rekha, on behalf of the Mahila Chetna Samiti Sangathan and by Gautam, Sheela, and Rukhsana from the MNREGA Mazdoor Union. The administration has assured resolution of the problem within 15 days. If the pr
12 Feb 2019
Over 260 organisations and concerned citizens across the spectrum of Indian society have written (read the letter ) to the Vice President of India, who is also the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, and the Prime Minister demanding that the Aadhaar Amendments Bill and DNA Bill be subjected to great
1 Jan 2019
The Union Government has listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha tomorrow (January 2, 2019) the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, in the Lok Sabha. There are serious concerns violating court orders and citizens rights in this.
1 Jan 2019
The Right to Food Campaign in Jharkhand reported the death of three more people from starvation after their ration cards were canceled due to not linking with Aadhaar. The full RFC update is included here.
26 Sep 2018
More than six years after the first legal challenge to the Unique Identification project were filed in court, today the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar project. While four judges wrote upholding the validity of the Aadhaar project, one judge ruled that the Aadhaar p
22 Sep 2018
Latest from courts, parliament and the grassroots. Official rethink on the use of Aadhaar has started.
22 Sep 2018
News reports of “starvation deaths” have been coming in a steady trickle over the past few years. One particularly tragic episode was that of eleven-year old Santoshi Kumari in Jharkhand. She died one year ago, on 28 September, begging her mother for rice as she slipped into unconsciousness. It was
27 Aug 2018
We are almost at the end of August, and the wait for the Supreme Court Constitution Bench's judgment in the final Aadhaar hearings continues. All we know for now is that the judgment will be out, and soon... Most recently the Delhi High Court issued notice to the UIDAI and the Union government on a petition filed by
27 Jul 2018
A day long workshop on the issues of the Right to Information (RTI), the Right to Privacy (RTP), the proposed data protection legislation and their intersections was held on 17th July 2018. The consultation was attended by members of various peoples' campaigns and movements, researchers, legal scholars and citizens
24 Jul 2018
Summer is seeping into the monsoon. Much has happened in the last months. For the poor, Aadhaar and hunger deaths remain connected. The Right to Food Campaign reported on continuing hunger deaths in Jharkhand. Many of those who died faced issues with rations related to Aadhaar. For the middle classe
17 May 2018
Pension Parishad is releasing this statement in the behest of Mr. Jitendra Singh's statement that aadhaar is not mandatory for senior government employees for pensions. by not extending the same courtesy, or option to the beneficiaries of the pension schemes of the NSAP smacks of discrimination, cal
14 May 2018
In 2016, some of us came together to formulate a response to the Aadhaar onslaught and attempted to organise resources to challenge Aadhaar. We also worked to raise awareness and developed resources to help others understand - and critique - the project. We thought we would be focused on both “welfa
13 May 2018
Under the Aadhaar Act, “identity information” consists of Aadhaar number, biometric information and demographic information. “Biometric information”, as of now, consists of fingerprints, iris scan and photograph, but its scope can be expanded at UIDAI’s discretion. “Demographic information” refers t
13 May 2018
In January 2018, while releasing the AISHE 2017-18, HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javdekar said that 80,000 bogus teachers had been detected through use of Aadhaar. However, in response to an RTI application, the HRD ministry was unable to furnish any evidence to back the claim. In response to anothe
30 Mar 2018
On 22nd March, UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey made a presentation before the Supreme five-judge bench to convince them that all was well with Aadhaar. On slide 42, an extremely important piece of evidence showing the utter failure of Aadhaar Based Biometric Authentication ABBA for welfare was allowed
14 Mar 2018
The Interim Order issued by the Supreme Court today has come as a grave disappointment, given the large scale exclusion and cases of starvation deaths reported due to Aadhaar, the biometrics-linked resident ID, from the poorest districts of the country.
13 Mar 2018
The Right to Food Campaign is deeply disappointed by the 13 March 2018 Supreme Court order which extends the deadline for Aadhaar linking of facilities such as bank accounts and SIM cards, but permits the continued imposition of Aadhaar on social services and entitlements such as the public distribu
8 Mar 2018
Dear friends and subscribers, The March 31, 2018, deadline for linking Aadhaar to various essential services is nearing, which we are sure is a cause for anxiety. We hope this comprehensive newsletter will help you navigate the Aadhaar mess - as always, please feel free to write in with your questio
3 Mar 2018
Dear friends and subscribers, The March 31, 2018, deadline for linking Aadhaar to various essential services is nearing, which we are sure is a cause for anxiety. We hope this comprehensive newsletter will help you navigate the Aadhaar mess - as always, please feel free to write in with your questio
17 Jan 2018
Charges against Government of Jharkhand and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) The last few months have seen the cruel starvation deaths of at least four residents of Jharkhand - Santoshi Kumari, Ruplal Marandi, Premani Kunwar and Etwariya Devi. This is a direct result of the actions
17 Jan 2018
The 12th of January marks the beginning of a month of protests against the UID project by various organisations. Protests were held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Jharkhand and Bihar have events planned that will take place in the coming weeks.
17 Jan 2018
Protests against Aadhaar occurred across India on 12th Jan 2018 as part of the Break Aadhaar Chains campaign.
17 Jan 2018
आधार नहीं सुधार चाहिए संविधान में दी गई स्वतंत्रता के मूल अधिकार का उल्लंघन हैआधार- प्रेमकृष्ण शर्मा जयपुर 16 जनवरी, जयपुर शहर के गाँधी सर्कल पर आधार के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन में आधार नहीं अधिकार दो, आधार नहीं अनाज चाहिए, आधार धोखा है, आधार की अनिवार्यता बंद करो जैसे नारे लगे. सरकार द्वारा आधार को व्यक्
17 Jan 2018
Constitution Bench hearings on Aadhaar begin: SC asks whether biometric data collected between 2009-2016 should be destroyed After about seven years since the first challenges to the Aadhaar project, on Wednesday, a Constitution bench began hearing the arguments to decide the legal validity of the
5 Jan 2018
Rethink Aaadhar wrote to the Chairperson and Members of the committee on the 15th November, 2017 and 14th December, 2017. We raised several concerns including those related to privacy, security and data breaches.
8 Dec 2017
In a hurry to show Aadhaar savings, the Jharkhand government is canceling even genuine ration cards without any prior notice, ground verification, or explanation to ration card holders -- this emerged from both a door to door survey of 135 canceled ration cards in Manika, Jharkhand, and a public hea
7 Dec 2017
It has been 849 days since the Indian Supreme Court decided to set up a Constitution Bench to examine if Aadhaar project violates Indian Constitution. Every day that the court delays in deciding on this matter, there are more instances of people suffering because Aadhaar has been made ‘mandatorily v
27 Nov 2017
Rethink Aadhaar cautiously welcomes the Sri Krishna Committee White Paper which has been shared for public comments and inputs. This marks an important first step in a more transparent and accountable pre-legislative process.
10 Nov 2017
After our last update of November 9, we have received several messages an emails in support of more citizen action against Aadhaar's coercion and exclusion. Now, we present three ways in which you can take action, and make a difference 1. On November 11, tomorrow at 11 am, Join #NoAadhaar#NoMobil
9 Nov 2017
The Government recently claimed in the Supreme Court that 118 crore Indians would be hurt if the Court passed an order against Aadhaar. What this claims ignores is that people have been coerced to enroll for and “seed” or link Aadhaar to various schemes. The consequences of such coercion are terribl
9 Nov 2017
Switch off your mobiles at 11 am on 11/11 #NoMobile #NoAaadhar Earlier this year, the government ordered us to link our mobile connections to our Aadhaar numbers or have our mobile connections cut off. NO hesitation in jumping the gun even as the legal challenge to Aadhaar comes up for hearing
3 Nov 2017
Today, the Supreme Court tagged the four new petitions brought before it with the other pending Aadhaar cases. All the petitions will be heard by a Constitution Bench, possibly by end of November. The Court assured the petitioners that if the matter is not heard at the end of November, it w
30 Oct 2017
There have been reports coming in of starvation deaths because people are not being able to access their ration entitlements due to failure to link with and authenticate using Aadhaar. Some of these reports can be found in the update from the Right to Food Campaign at the end of this mail. The Stat
24 Sep 2017
The Aadhaar Act, 2016 as it says is supposed to be for the “targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services.” But the ground reality tells us a different story. Thousands of MNEREGA workers gathered at Jantar Mantar for five days from 11th September to 15th September 2017
13 Sep 2017
On the third day of the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha hundreds of MNREGA rural workers gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi spoke of the varied problems they are facing due to Aadhaar, a biometrics linked ID, being made mandatory to continue getting essential services. Tukaram from the Jagrat Adivasi Da
11 Sep 2017
In a shocking security breach of Aadhaar, India’s biometric ID project for residents, the police have arrested 10 men in Uttar Pradesh in North India for successfully creating fake biometrics identities in the Aadhaar database, by cloning fingerprints. On September 11, the Uttar Pradesh Special Tas
1 Sep 2017
Delhi High Court appointed Commissioner records exclusion from food rations due to Aadhaar; HC asks Delhi Government to operationalise transparency, grievance redress, accountability provisions of National Food Security Act. In a landmark hearing today, a bench of the Delhi High Court com
24 Aug 2017
When is the judgement expected? The Right to Privacy judgement is expected today, after a wait of over two years , or 744 days. See timeline of orders . How did we get here? In 2015, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi while defending the Aadhaar project that seeks to assign every resident a biometr
24 Aug 2017
We welcome the judgment of the Supreme Court affirming the Right to Privacy as a fundamental right. This is a historic day. This judgment comes to us after a reference in the Aadhaar cases starting in in 2012 where the Union Government in August 2015 argued that the fundamental right to privacy doe
23 Aug 2017
Tomorrow the Supreme Court of India will decide whether or not Indian citizens have a fundamental right to privacy. This historic decision will have far reaching consequences. A bench of nine judges including the Chief Justice of India, Justice Khehar, Justices Jasti Chelameswar, SA Bobde, RK Agarwa
17 Aug 2017
On 8th Aug, 2017, a press conference was organized in Delhi by Satark Nagrik Sangathan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Right to Food Campaign and Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan to expose the claims of the Government about the benefits of Aadhaar. In response to the press conference, the
16 Aug 2017
We are looking for an intern who will work on Rethink Aadhaar’s communications and outreach efforts, as well as monitoring developments and news on the Aadhaar project, which is now the world’s largest biometrics database. The person will be mentored and guided by several Rethink Aadhaar campaign m
11 Aug 2017
Here is the Aug edition of the Tyranny of Aadhaar newsletter, bringing you the real state of Aadhaar roll-out and how it affects crores of Indians across states. So far, the only real beneficiary of Aadhaar is: the State & Corporates, not the citizens. We share relevant data, and findings fr
9 Aug 2017
A press conference was held on 8th August 2017 to question the claims of the government about savings due to Aadhaar and about the benefits of Aadhaar in welfare programs and schemes. On February 7, 2017, the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha stated that use of Aadhaar and technology led to the disco
2 Aug 2017
The 9-Judge Constitution Bench concluded hearings to settle the question of whether there exists a fundamental right to privacy in India. The bench has reserved its judgment over whether privacy is a fundamental right in India. The government’s counsels insisted that the Supreme Court should not re
1 Aug 2017
The 9-Judge Constitution Bench continued hearing the arguments of the Government of India to settle the question of whether there exists a fundamental right to privacy in India. In August 2015, the Government of India denied that a fundamental right to privacy exists in India in the ongoing Aadhaar
27 Jul 2017
The 9-Judge Constitution Bench continued hearing the arguments of the Government of India to settle the question of whether there exists a fundamental right to privacy in India. In August 2015, the Government of India denied that a fundamental right to privacy exists in India in the ongoing Aadhaar
26 Jul 2017
The 9-Judge constitutional bench resumed hearings to settle the question on whether there exists a fundamental right to privacy in India. This bench in the words of Justice Nariman “..will decide the issue once and for all for conceptual clarity for the nation.” In an important development, several
20 Jul 2017
The bench of nine SC judges continued hearing arguments for a second day, to settle the question of whether Indian citizens have a fundamental right to privacy, in the ongoing Aadhaar case. Several petitioners had questioned whether the government can mandatorily link the 12-digit, biometrics linked
18 Jul 2017
Today, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar heard a bunch of petitions today challenging Aadhaar, a biometrics-linked residents ID, on different grounds, including those related to right to privacy. They decided to constitute a nine-judge bench
7 Jul 2017
The Supreme Court on Friday, July 7 heard applications for interim relief to stay notifications which make Unique Identification Number or Aadhaar, a biometrics-linked identity number for residents, mandatory for availing any benefits and entitlements. The applications are by the same petitioners
27 Jun 2017
The Aadhaar matter ( Shantha Sinha & Anr vs. Union of India & Ors) was listed before a vacation bench of Justice Khanwilkar and Justice Navin Sinha today. Applications to stay notifications issued under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act were before the Court. There are over a h
23 Jun 2017
Read the rejoinder by petitioners Shanta Sinha (political scientist, anti-child labour activist and padma sri winner) and Kalyani Menon-Sen (noted feminist activist) against the counter affidavit filed by the State on Aadhaar. It's not just the savings numbers that have been cooked up, but several o
25 May 2017
The Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan has filed a case in the Delhi High Court against Aadhaar being made mandatory for receiving ration under the National Food Security Act. The matter was heard today, on May 25, by a bench of the Acting Chief Justice Geeta Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar.
9 May 2017
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard an important constitutional challenge against 18 notifications which have made Aadhaar mandatory for availing any benefits and entitlements. These include notifications making Aadhaar mandatory for hot cooked meals, several scholarships for disabled students and s
8 May 2017
Last month, through an amendment to the Income Tax Act , Parliament made it compulsory for all taxpayers to quote their Aadhaar numbers while filing their return of income (or while applying for a new PAN number ). Under the new Section 139AA of the IT Act, the consequence of not complying with
5 May 2017
In the past few months, there have been several reports citing security flaws in Aadhaar. There are also reports on Aadhaar numbers being displayed publicly, along with mobile phone numbers, financial details, which could expose citizens to fraud, including by use of such details to generate fake &q
4 May 2017
Senior Advocate Datar: "Aadhaar is like building a bridge and then looking for a river. It is hunting for problems to make itself relevant." Senior Advocate Arvind Datar’s fiery rebuttal began today in the Aadhaar-PAN(Permanent Account Number) linkage case. Datar, who is representing CPI
3 May 2017
At the latest hearing on Aadhaar in the Supreme Court today, Arghya Sengupta of Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy who was arguing on behalf of the Government started with two broad arguments for the Union of India and UIDAI: (1) That proportionality could not be read into Article 14, and (2) The idea of
2 May 2017
Attorney General on Aadhaar: “You want to be forgotten. But the State doesn't want to forget you.” At today's hearing on Aadhaar in the Supreme Court, the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi responded to the arguments made by the petitioners. He claimed there were only two ways to challenge an enactmen
28 Apr 2017
Two writ petitions challenging the latest amendment to the Income Tax Act are being heard at the Supreme Court by a bench comprising of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan. The amendment in question introduces Section 139AA that makes submission of one's Aadhaar/UID -- a 12-digit biometrics
27 Apr 2017
"How can you engraft a provision into the Income Tax Act making Aadhaar mandatory when the Aadhaar Act itself makes Aadhaar purely voluntary," argued Mr Shyam Divan, lawyer for petitioners Two writ petitions challenging the latest amendment to the Income Tax Act are being heard at the
26 Apr 2017
23 सितम्बर 2013 [ जब तक संवैधानिक पीठ इस बारे में कोइ अंतिम सुनवाई न करे तब तक ] “ किसी भी व्यक्ति को आधार कार्ड नहीं होने के कारण परेशानी न हो भले ही किसी प्राधिकरण द्वारा इसे अनिवार्य करने का कोइ आदेश जारी किया गया हो ” 24 मार्च 2014 “.......किसी भी व्यक्ति को आधार नंबर नहीं होने के कारण किसी भी
26 Apr 2017
Two writ petitions challenging the latest amendment to the Income Tax Act were heard on Wednesday at the Supreme Court by a bench comprising of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan. The amendment in question introduces Section 139AA that makes submission of one's Aadhaar/UID number, an ident
25 Apr 2017
Due to failure of recognition by machine, 7 pensioners didn’t get their pension after introduction of biometric machine in Kardana village of Chhattisgarh. One of those pensioners has died since then.
25 Apr 2017
The Supreme Court is set to hear an important challenge on Wednesday, April 26 on linking of Aadhaar, a 12-digit biometrics based identity number to the Permanent Account Number(PAN), used for filing income tax. On Friday, April 21, two writ petitions challenging the latest amendment to the Income
11 Apr 2017
September 23, 2013 [Until final hearing of the Constitution Bench] “…no person should suffer fornotgetting the Adhaar card inspite of the fact that some authority hadissued a circular making it mandatory”. November 26, 2013 [States/UTs impleaded.] March 24, 2014 “… no person shall be deprived of
10 Apr 2017
During a heated short duration discussion on the Aadhaar project in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, MPs attacked the notifications making Aadhaar mandatory for essential services. Opposition MPs raised the issue of the violation of the Supreme Court’s orders and exclusions due to Aadhaar in many welfare
2 Apr 2017
Right to Food, Jharkhand is going on hunger strike from April 9 against Jharkhand government's unconstitutional order to make Aadhar mandatory in Public Distribution System foodgrains. For more details, contact: rtfcjharkhand@gmail.com "राशन कार्ड के लिए आधार अनिवार्य करने के खिलाफ 9 अप्रै
31 Mar 2017
Some newspapers have reported erroneously that the Supreme Court on March 27 directed that the government can ask for the UID for Income Tax and PAN card; this is misinformation. For one, what transpired happened during a `mentioning', that is, where the lawyer mentioned the matter only t
31 Mar 2017
The following are links to, and text of discussion by members of parliament in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha this week: Bhupendra Yadav's private member resolution to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously to be taken up tomorrow in RS. He suggests linking of Aadhaar number with Electio
19 Mar 2017
Today the National Federation of Indian Women and the Right to Food Campaign held a protest outside the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Shastri Bhawan to protest against the move of the Central Government to make Aadhaar mandatory for Mid Day Meal Scheme. People from more than ten states including UP, West
1 Mar 2017
The National Democratic Alliance has stated that the decision to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes is aimed to make India a “cashless economy”. Aadhaar, is being presented as a crucial tool in the hands of the government and financial institutions to enforce a transition to digi
28 Feb 2017
The Aadhaar project, to provide a unique number to all residents in India, was packaged as a welfare-enabling programme. It was sold as an initiative for greater inclusiveness in welfare, a tool against corruption, greater efficiency and so on. Six years down the line, there is mounting evidence of