TNN Jan 24, 2014, 01.46AM IST
MADURAI: The ministry of petroleum and natural gas and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India have been restrained from demanding Aadhaar card details from LPG domestic consumers for getting government subsidy, to get refilled gas cylinders from the agencies.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court passed the interim injunction order on Thursday on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in this regard.
The Supreme Court (SC) on September 23, 2013 in a case of Justice K S Puttaswamy (retired) had stated that the matter required to be heard finally. In the meantime, no person should suffer for not getting the Aadhaar card in spite of the fact that some authority had issued a circular making it mandatory. When any person applies to get the Aadhaar card voluntarily, it may be checked whether that person is entitled for it under law and it should not be given to any illegal immigrant, the SC had said.
Stating that the gas agencies' move is against the Supreme Court (SC) directive, a Virudhunagar-based advocate S M Ananthamurugan had filed the PIL.
He contended that while the SC interim order is in vogue, the gas agencies forwarded SMSes to all LPG domestic consumers stating that they should submit Aadhaar card to get government subsidy.
Besides, the gas agencies refuse to register request to get refilled cylinders for want of Aadhaar card number, the petitioner had said.
Further, the central government had submitted to the apex court that the Aadhaar card is not mandatory to get any public services. But, on the other side it forces the consumers to provide Aadhaar card details.
Due to gas agencies' action, the public would suffer largely. In rural and hilly areas, there is no bank facility. Before implementing the new system, the central government ought to have provided the cards to the people through its departments and nationalised banks, he contended.
The petition said that gas agencies' actions refusing registering of requests amount to contempt of court as it violates the court order.
Besides, the court should initiate contempt proceedings against the concerned officials and to direct the respondents not to take any steps to implement the Aadhaar card system or compel the beneficiaries to get the public services till finalisation of the Aadhaar card issue. Further, the court should give direction to the respondents to provide domestic refilled cylinders to the consumers by following the earlier system, the petitioner had prayed.
When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday before the division bench of justices R Sudhakar and V M Velumani, the bench ordered an interim stay and adjourned the matter to January 29.