Today, two years ago, on September 26, 2018, the Supreme Court of India passed the landmark judgement that decided the fate of the #Aadhaar project in India.
Link: indiankanoon.org/doc/116396036/
The Court’s failure to find the #Aadhaar project unconstitutional was widely criticised for not addressing the problems of social exclusion and destruction fundamental rights.
Link: epw.in/engage/article…
The failure of the Supreme Court to take into account affidavits submitted by the poor, the disabled & the elderly describing the hardships they face because of #Aadhaar is a travesty of justice. scroll.in/article/896374…
Two years later, the project lives on, a living, breathing obstacle to basic rights of people. Citizens, however, have refused to give in and continue to challenge the scheme. #Aadhaar
The following is a #thread list of some of the many ongoing litigations against the #Aadhaar project. While some have been disposed off, others are in the process of being heard
A petitioner has challenged the arbitrary deletion of names from PDS lists in the Telangana High Court. The Telangana High Court has issued notice #Aadhaarcaravanmagazine.in/government/can…
Challenge to the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for registering a partnership firm. indiankanoon.org/doc/188566837/ While issuing notice, Court said - respondents shall not insist upon the petitioner to provide Aadhaar number for registration of the partnership application
Petition been filed by Uttaranchal Ayurvedic College via attorney Amit Sahni, challenging the mandatory implementation of Aadhaar-enabled geo-location-enabled biometric attendance system.
Link: medianama.com/2019/03/223-de…
The Ministry of Home Affairs notification that makes Aadhaar mandatory for FCRA purposes was challenged by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. Link: livelaw.in/delhi-hc-allow…
A petition was filed in the High Court of Madras against the mandatory linking of the Aadhaar ID to the Universal Account Number in order to avail one’s pension and provident fund.
Link: thewire.in/rights/petitio…
In Rojer Mathew v South Indian Bank & Ors., the Supreme Court questioned the use of the money bill for the passage of the Aadhaar act. This could have an impact on the review petitions pending in the Supreme Court. Link: sci.gov.in/pdf/JUD_4.pdf
We will shortly be sending out our email update. In the meantime - Do you know of any pending #Aadhaar litigations in India? Add to the tracker by filling up this form. Rethink Aadhaar is a voluntary effort, to get involved email contact@rethinkaadhaar.in docs.google.com/forms/d/1kQUCe…
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As states suffer rising COVID-19 cases, the public distribution system is a lifeline for many who will be rendered food insecure. Aadhaar linkage increases the risk of transmission, and is a massive source of exclusion. This needs to go! A short thread:
1. Exclusion: In Kenjala village, Kombaru GP, Kadaba taluk: In the middle of a lockdown, people who made it to the PDS shop could not get rice - no mobile network. "staff had to move to the nearest hillock, searching for a proper.. network". daijiworld.com/news/newsDispl…
This is the tip of the iceberg. Reminder that a 2019 Lokniti-CSDS survey found between 28% to 40% persons (in the Hindi belt) had been denied foodgrains because of Aadhaar-related failures. indianexpress.com/article/explai…
Link to sign a statement demanding that government ensures equitable access to vaccines and medical resources to survive the pandemic blocksurvey.io/survey/1PfQfn6… statement is attached
Demands
-Increase access to vaccinations
-Ensure no barriers, including mandating Aadhaar, for access to diagnostics, hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, medication or other treatments
-Protect peoples’ rights over their data
-Permit vaccination for all without ID/residence proof
This is a difficult time for all of us. As we write we have relatives & friends searching for hospitals, medicines & oxygen, isolating at home, and more being infected with the COVID-19 virus daily. Many of us are caring for those who are ill or need other support.
1/n Rethink Aadhaar & Article 21 Trust anchored a session on Surveillance & Technology at the Janta Parliament on 18 August 2020. More than 100 people attended & voted. Thread - Highlights from the session illustrated by @kruttikasusarlarethinkaadhaar.in/blog/2020/8/24…
2/n @PaliSamuel presided over the session and highlighted “mass ostracization and harassment” faced by those who had their personal information on health status, travel history released in the public domain. Key guiding question: where is “trust” between people & the Govt.
3/n Keynote address by Usha Ramanathan - similarities between the exploitation of natural resources & collection of data. Must be more transparency on the relationship between state & corporate entities on data extractive practices with minimum regulatory oversight
#JantaParliament thread with live tweets. @PaliSamuel introduces the 6th session on technology and surveillance - there is a need to ask who are excluded from their constitutional rights by technological solutions/interventions?
The people of Jammu&Kashmir have been denied internet access, migrant labourers asked to book trains online, rights bearing citizens reduced to data subjects #JantaParliament
Constitutional rights that form the architecture of governance must be present at the stage of design of technology (before even implemented or conceptualised) #JantaParliament
Join us tmrw at #JantaParliament for a session on Technology, Exclusion & Surveillance from 3pm to 6pm. Hear 20 speakers critically appraise govt policy on technology, exclusion & surveillance. Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Visvam will attend, Usha Ramanathan will give the keynote address
We are getting set for Day 2 of the #AadhaarTribunal. Today we look at #AadhaarAndBeyond. Join us for another day of engaging conversations!
Here's a snapshot of what happened yesterday. Thank you @TheStatesmanLtd
And we've begun Day 2 of the #AadhaarTribunal with the session on gender rights. @SwetaDash93 speaks on the need to look at gender as a separate category and how, despite Nilekani's assertions, #Aadhaar-related issues have not been solved.