The Supreme Court has ordered that the Aadhar card will be optional for availing various welfare schemes of the government.
It said this and ordered that no personal information of the holders of such cards shall be shared by any authority.
A three-judge bench, said the Centre shall give wide publicity through electronic and print media that the card is not mandatory to avail the government schemes.
The court made it clear that even for PDS, kerosene and LPG distribution system, the card will not be mandatory.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Aadhar scheme and the issue whether right to privacy is a fundamental right.
It directed that the information received by UIDAI shall not be used for any other purposes, except in criminal investigation with the permission of the court.
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