Plea to link property with Aadhaar: HC seeks UIDAI stand

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on a plea seeking linking of movable and immovable property documents of citizens with their Aadhaar number to curb corruption, black money generation and 'benami' transactions.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to UIDAI, which issues the 12-digit unique identification number called Aadhaar, and sought its response in the matter before November 20, the next date of hearing.

The court also asked the Centre and the Delhi government to file their response, which they had not despite issuance of notice to them on July 16.

The authority was impleaded in the petition by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay after it moved the court seeking to be heard in the matter.

Upadhyay, also a lawyer, in his plea has said it is the duty of the state to take appropriate steps to curb corruption and seize 'benami' properties made by illegal means to give a strong message that the government is determined to fight against corruption and black money generation.

"If the government links property with Aadhaar, it will lead to an increment of 2 per cent in annual growth. It will clean out electoral process, which is dominated by black money and benami transaction and thrives on a cycle of large black investments...use of political strength to amass private wealth, all with disdain of the citizen," the petition has said.

The plea has claimed that 'benami' transaction in high denomination currency is used in illegal activities -- terrorism, naxalism, separatism, gambling, money laundering and bribing.

"It also inflates the price of essential commodities as well as major assets like real estate and gold. These problems can be curbed up to great extent by linking movable-immovable properties with the owner's Aadhaar number," it has further claimed.