Prasad asks UIDAI for plan to restrict use of Aadhaar by private firms

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked UIDAI to prepare an action plan to ensure compliance with Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar which restricts use of Aadhaar data by private entities.

"There was broad discussion with the minister on things that can be done to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court judgement. He has asked UIDAI to work on it," an official source told PTI.

Prasad held a meeting with IT secretary Ajay Kumar Sawhney and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey to review status of Aadhaar use in light of the judgement.
 

"It is a 1,400-page judgement. All the nitty-gritty has to be taken care of. Before taking legal opinion, UIDAI has to formulate questions on what can be done," the source said.

The apex court while holding Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid struck down section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, permitting private entities to avail Aadhaar data.
 

Section 57 of the Act says: "Nothing contained in this Act shall prevent the use of Aadhaar number for establishing the identity of an individual for any purpose, whether by the State or any body corporate or person, pursuant to any law, for the time being in force, or any contract to this effect".

Following this judgement, mobile service providers and other private entities cannot ask for Aadhaar for customer registration, making it challenging for them to acquire new customers where know your customer (KYC) rules are mandatory.