In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.
On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.
In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.
In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.
In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.
"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Krishnaswamy
Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Monday, December 20, 2010

956 - Congress goes after RSS on terror, wants probe into Parivar links

The resolution will also support the UID project, which has been under attack from some National Advisory Council members and NGOs. Rahul Gandhi also supported the UID project at today’s meeting.

D K Singh
Posted: Dec 19, 2010 at 0337 hrs IST

New Delhi The Congress is set to step up its attack on the RSS demanding in its political resolution, to be passed at the party’s plenary session on Sunday, that the government of India should investigate its links with terror attacks.
 
“The Congress calls upon the government to investigate the role of the RSS and all like-minded sister organizations in terror attacks,” stated the draft political resolution that was discussed at the party’s Subject Committee meeting here on Saturday. It was to be given a final shape late in the evening. Congress sources said that it is the first time that the RSS and terrorism will be hyphenated in a party resolution.

This comes amidst a concerted attack from the BJP and other affiliates of the Sangh Parivar on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s remarks to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer stating that radicalised Hindu groups posed a bigger threat to India than Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.

At the Subject Committee meeting today, Rahul Gandhi also said that the demolition of Babri mosque in Ayodhya should be described as a “criminal act” and not as “mischievous vandalism” as stated in the draft resolution. “We should be upfront about it,” Rahul was learnt to have stated.

Digvijaya Singh said that both “majority communalism” and “minority communalism” should be condemned in the party resolution. The resolution would also elaborate on the involvement of RSS leaders in Ajmer bomb blasts and other terror attacks. Congress leaders were also of the view that the resolution should state that all cases linking RSS and terror should be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

In the backdrop of a series of scams and corruption charges that dogged the UPA government, the party’s political resolution will emphasize on “probity in public life” noting how the ruling party ministers and Chief Minister resigned just because of public perception while the BJP has maintained double standard on this issue refusing to act against its leaders facing corruption charges.

The party’s economic resolution will compliment Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for steering the country on the path of robust growth even in times of global recession. The resolution will also support the UID project, which has been under attack from some National Advisory Council members and NGOs. Rahul Gandhi also supported the UID project at today’s meeting.

The party’s draft foreign policy resolution, however, came under severe criticism from several members who felt that it lacked “direction.” Leaders questioned the decision to devote “quarter of a page” to Africa, while the European Union found mention just once. There was also some objection to the absence of Palestine in the draft resolution, which, leaders felt, put “too much emphasis” on US President Barack Obama’s endorsement of India’s claims for permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar wanted the text of Rajiv Gandhi’s 1988 speech at the UN General Assembly on universal nuclear disarmament to be included in the resolution. The foreign policy resolution will be re-drafted and finalised to accommodate all these concerns.