AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 8016 - Now, file your FIR online

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

Friday, May 22, 2015

8016 - Now, file your FIR online - Telegraph India

Now, file your FIR online

A.S.R.P. Mukesh & Kumud Jenamani

Ganesh Reddy has been receiving offensive calls from unknown numbers for two days. The busy secretary of Citizen Foundation, a voluntary outfit in Ranchi, hadn't had the time to visit the thana and lodge a complaint. Now, he is glad to have registered his gripe online.

Reddy was among the first few to test Jharkhand Police's latest citizen-friendly measure - a virtual FIR system that debuted at 10 thanas across four districts on Wednesday with the promise of extending its reach to all the 24 districts by this year-end.

Chief minister Raghubar Das launched the online FIR portal - jofs.jhpolice.gov.in - at a function at the police headquarters in Dhurwa, offering the aam aadmi the convenience of approaching the men in uniform anywhere, anytime.

In Ranchi, online FIRs can be registered with Kotwali, Jagannathpur and Ormanjhi police; in Jamshedpur, with Sonari, Kadma and Potka police; in Bokaro, with steel city and Gomia police; and in Dhanbad, with town and Katras police.

Reddy, for one, is might impressed. "Soon after registering my complaint online, Ranchi police called me and said the local police station had been alerted on my case. Wow! This is indeed e-age," he said.

Three other smart policing initiatives (see below) also saw the light of day at the function. These are ARMAR or accident response and medical assistance in Ranchi; police control room (PCR) vans for Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Bokaro; and highway patrol vehicles on Ranchi-Jamshedpur stretch of NH-33 and in Giridih.

The chief minister had a word of caution though. "We don't want to restrict ourselves to inaugurations. These systems should be sustained. There will be shortcomings, but there will be back-up support too," Das said in the presence of chief secretary Rajiv Gauba, home secretary N.N. Pandey, DGP D.K. Pradhan and other senior officers of the police department.

DGP Pradhan called the efforts at better policing historic. "People often shy away from registering FIRs because policemen are unresponsive at thanas. Now, technology will make them more accountable and spare people humiliation and hassles. This will be a turning point in law and order."

ADG (CID) Rezi Dungdung explained how the online FIR works. "On the web page, you have three options of registering complaints. Key in your Aadhaar number, choose fingerprint option and press go. Details of the complainant as in the Aadhaar database are automatically received. One just has to choose nature of complaint and give a brief description of the crime/problem."

As a second option, one can key in Aadhaar number and choose OTP (one-time password). A unique code is sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number of the complainant. After entering the OTP, one can fill up the form. "Those who don't have Aadhaar numbers yet, can just bypass these options and fill up the form," Dungdung said.

What about people who aren't tech-savvy or don't have computer or Internet at home? "They can visit the nearest Pragya Kendra and officials will help them register an FIR online for Rs 30. For those in BPL category, the same will be done for free," he said.

Once a complaint is filed, an SMS and an email will be sent as acknowledgement. "Investigations will be initiated immediately and depending on the outcome, the complaint will be converted into an FIR," the ADG added.

Can online FIRs make police more accountable?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com