A division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan asked the government to file the objections within four weeks. On October 14, the court had stayed the government order in this regard.
Srinagar, Publish Date: Oct 17 2016 11:35PM | Updated Date: Oct 17 2016 11:35PM
D A RASHID
J&K High Court on Monday granted four weeks’ further time to the government to respond to a Public Interest Litigation challenging a government order that makes it mandatory for its employees to procure Aadhaar cards for biometric attendance in government offices.
A division bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan asked the government to file the objections within four weeks. On October 14, the court had stayed the government order in this regard.
Advocate General, Jahangir Iqbal Ganai today argued that in the government order the Aadhar based biometric attendance had been mentioned so that every Government employee could attend the office regularly and no proxy attendance was registered.
Through the PIL, advocate Syed Musaib has challenged GAD order (175/2006-Part file) whereby government on September 1 made procurement of Aadhaar card mandatory for government employees for Aadhaar-based Biometric Attendance in government offices.
The government order, the petitioner pleaded, was in clear contravention of the constitutional bench order of the Supreme Court in Justice K.S Puttaswamy (Retd) & Anr versus Union of India, as well in violation of a three Judge Bench order of the apex court.
While on February 2, J&K government by an Order (35-F of 2016) had made Aadhaar mandatory for Government Employees, pensioners and other such people, High Court on August 3, 2016 quashed the Order.
The Court had made it clear that it was beyond doubt that the government order issued could not sustain as it was in violation of the interim orders passed by the Supreme Court.