Rajesh Kumar Pandey,TNN | Apr 7, 2015, 03.13 PM IST
ALLAHABAD: The state government on Monday submitted before the Allahabad High Court that there is no compulsory requirement of Aadhar card or its registration number for submitting forms for the preparation of ration cards in the state.
Recording the statement of the state government, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Pawan Tiwari of Bagpat district.
Earlier, at one stage this court had directed the Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supply) Lucknow to explain as to how despite recent direction of the Supreme Court for not making Aadhar card compulsory everywhere, the food and civil supply department of Uttar Pradesh was insisting for production of Aadhar card or its registration number for the purposes of issuance of ration cards.
In pursuance of the direction of the court, state counsel Rama Nand Pandey on Monday produced before the court an order passed by the commissioner, food and civil supply department dated March 26, 2015 wherein all district magistrates and district supply officers were directed not to compel any applicant for submission of Aadhar card or its registration number under the National Food Security Act-2013 for preparation of ration cards.
In the PIL, the petitioner had contended that the district supply officer of Baghpat, despite the order of Supreme Court, had been insisting on the production of Aadhar card and without which the applications for the grant of ration cards were not being processed.