NEW DELHI: Reiterating its earlier stand, Supreme Court on Monday said that Aadhar cards will not be mandatory for availing government benefits including subsidies. The court further instructed the centre to follow its 2013 order on the issue.
"Since the Centre and all the states are represented we expect all to scrupulously adhere to our order dated 23 Sept 2013," the court said, posting the matter for hearing on the second week of July.
"It is your duty to ensure our orders are followed. You can't say states are not following our order," said the bench comprising Justice J Chelameswar, Justice SA Bobde and Justice C Nagappan,
Earlier in September 2013, The apex court had ruled that the card cannot be a prerequisite for public services. Last year, in March, the court had asked the government why the Aadhar card was still being treated as mandatory for citizens who want to get their marriages or property registered, or receive a gas connection.
