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, March 7, 2016

9428 - Political updates: Modi invokes Indira, Rajiv statements disapproving Parliament disruptions - Live Mint

Political updates: Modi invokes Indira, Rajiv statements disapproving Parliament disruptions

Urging the opposition to support the govt in its efforts to develop the country, Modi said he need their help and experience

Meenal Thakur

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his reply to a motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha on Thursday invoked former Congress prime ministers, including Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, to address the matter of frequent disruptions in Parliament.

Aadhaar Bill introduced in Lok Sabha
The Aadhaar bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Expectations are that it will be a money bill, which essentially means that Rajya Sabha will not be able to exercise its now customary veto to legislations moved by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Of course, this assumes the Speaker endorses the government move.

In other major developments on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing Parliament. He is replying to the debate on the President’s address to Parliament.
Also, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar will be released on Thursday, after he was granted bail on Wednesday. However, the Delhi Police have not taken a call on whether to provide security cover to Kumar once he is out of jail, given the threat he faces, reports The Hindu .

In other news, corruption is back on the national political agenda as the Aircel-Maxis deal continued to feature prominently in Parliament for the second day in a row. Regional parties like the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK), Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted former finance minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram for his alleged involvement. These parties have demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the scam. Read more here

The multi-crore corruption scandal was first exposed by The Pioneer. Read more here about Karti’s investment in real estates and other business activities in about 14 countries.
The issue is being raised at a time when five states are set to go to polls in the next two months, one of which is Tamil Nadu, the home state of Chidambaram. The Election Commission will soon announce the dates for elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. Deccan Chronicle had last week reported that the Election Commission (EC) has wrapped up its three-month-long consultation and preparation exercise for conducting the polls on 24 February and elections will be announced anytime soon. Another report by Times of India said that the EC was expected to announce the dates for Tamil Nadu’s election later this week.

Talking of poll-bound states, the Congress party has started its preparation early in the crucial election-bound state of Uttar Pradesh. On Wednesday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a meeting of party leaders from the state to discuss the strategy for state polls. Read here
Gandhi also weighed in on the ongoing debate in Parliament on the President’s address. In a speech laced with occasional humour, Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he had lost touch with the people. Read more
Finally, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, got an interim bail late on Wednesday evening. Kumar last month was arrested on sedition charges, which triggered a political backlash by members of the opposition parties as well as rights groups opposing the move. The court on Wednesday agreed that he can have any political affiliation or ideology and that he has every right to pursue it, however, “it can be only within the framework of our Constitution”. Read more
To know more about this PhD scholar, read ‘Who is Kanhaiya Kumar’.

Meenal Thakur

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