NEW DELHI: The verdict on a clutch of 27 petitions that challenged the constitutional validity of Aadhaar will be pronounced by the Supreme Court Wednesday morning. The top court had reserved the verdict in May after a marathon hearing that stretched over nearly four months.
Hearing in the case had started in January and went on for 38 days - making it the second longest after the crucial Keshavananda Bharti case, which questioned if parliament's power to amend the Constitution was unlimited, to the extent of taking away all fundamental rights. The hearing went on for five months in 1973.
This time, a five-judge constitution bench -headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra - was examining an issue seen as considerably vital.
The court was examining the contention that the 12-digit Unique Identification number given out to 1.2 billion Indians, violates the Right to Privacy, which was named a fundamental right by the top court last year.
The government had made Aadhaar compulsory for a host of services and welfare measures, including bank accounts, PAN cards, cellphone services, passport and even driving licences. It was made the over-arching proof of identity and residence, over-riding all other prior identity proofs.