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

Sunday, January 8, 2012

2192 - JIH supports Lokpal, Food Security, rejects Aadhaar Scheme - Two Circles

Submitted by admin7
on 8 January 2012 - 12:11am
By TCN News,

Chennai: The 3-day meeting of Central Advisory Council (CAC) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), held from Dec. 30th 2011 to Jan. 1st 2012 in Chennai, discussed several issues related to the community, nation and the world. The meeting was presided over by JIH National President Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Omari and attended by all the 19 members of the CAC. The issues discussed at the meeting include Lokpal Bill, Aadhaar Scheme, Food Security Bill and Situation in Arab World.

Lokpal
On Lokpal Bill, the JIH meeting observed that there can be no denying the need and importance of Lokpal to root out corruption from the country. It appealed to the Government, all political parties and NGOs that they, going above electoral politics and petty benefits, must solve this issue and create an atmosphere for appointment of such a Lokpal who will have full powers and cover Prime Minister, CBI, all responsible functionaries, Members of Parliament, State Assemblies and Councils, corporate sectors and NGOs.
The meeting suggested that a person having clean image and trustworthy character besides academic excellence and legal acumen should be appointed on Lokpal. It advocated that the committee to be formed for selection of Lokpal must include representatives of backward castes and minorities.

Aadhaar Scheme
On Aadhaar Scheme, JIH expressed that the objectives and methodology of issuance of Unique Identification Card and Number to the citizens of the country under the Aadhaar Scheme have created an atmosphere of doubt and distrust in the entire country. The decision to issue identity cards to the citizens was taken in a meeting of Group of Ministers during the NDA regime; its objective was to contain illegal infiltration in the country and for this it was decided to issue identity cards to the citizens.

“Aadhaar Scheme is not only violating the citizenship right of citizens, rule of law and fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India but also becoming a source of economic exploitation, increase in deprivation of poor and backward sections, State profiling of individuals, violation of right to protection of personal life, and depriving citizens of benefits and services. Thus with this scheme national and international agencies, financial institutions, business enterprises and insurance agencies are being benefited. According to the details of UID project that have come to light, the expenditure on this project will come at Rs. 50 thousand crore. Such a large amount will be paid out of the tax paid by poor citizens. Before implementing such a mega project, it was neither granted nod in the Parliament after due deliberations nor was any legislation enacted” the meeting noted.

Food Security Bill
On Food Security Bill the JIH meeting expressed pleasure that after a pretty long time the Government has decided to pass the Food Security Bill and hoped that the bill will be enacted into a law during the Budget Session and the UPA Government will keep its long-due promise.
However, objecting on some clauses of the bill, the meeting was of the view:“Even after enacting the law every citizen of India will not be able to have the right to food security. In the proposed legislation the citizens of the country have been divided into Targeted and General Categories and food security has been guaranteed only to the Targeted Section. It is apprehended that a large chunk of Indian population rather a large chunk of the poor also will be deprived of food security. The social survey being done to determine the Targeted Section is also based on amazing misapprehensions. According to information, if a widow has an 18-year old son, she would not be deemed poor. While in the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme the minimum age limit for employment is 18 years. It is matter of concern and injustice to the poor” the meeting observed.
The meeting also demanded that the legislation should guarantee nutritious diet to children, food requirements to expected women and special food requirements to those suffering from some ailments.
Situation in Arab World
On present situation in Arab World, JIH felt that public awakening in the countries in Arab World is pleasant from different angles. Launching a peaceful movement against monarchy and autocracy, the public in Tunisia and Egypt dethroned the despotic rulers and now the way for democratic governments there has been paved. Its possibilities are bright in Yemen as well.
“With the success of Ikhwan al-Muslimoon’s political party Al-Ahrar wal A’dalah (Freedom and Justice Party) in Egypt and Al-Nahdha in Tunisia, it is hoped that the process of governance based on pristine values of Islam will be functional in these two Muslim countries, and would prove torch-bearer for other Muslim countries as well. Further, it will remove the misapprehensions in the minds of the common people in the world created as a result of the baseless propaganda unleashed against Islam and the Muslim Ummah by the Western world, especially America.”