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Supreme Court Says Aadhar Card Cannot Be Used To Avail Other Services (For Now)

Supreme Court Says Aadhar Card Cannot Be Used To Avail Other Services (For Now)
NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 12: People stand in queue during Aadhar card camp, pilot project for authentication of UID cards at Kalyanpuri on April 12, 2013 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Priyanka Parashar/Mint via Getty Images)
Mint via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 12: People stand in queue during Aadhar card camp, pilot project for authentication of UID cards at Kalyanpuri on April 12, 2013 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Priyanka Parashar/Mint via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- In a major setback to the central government, the Supreme Court ruled today that the Aadhar card cannot be used to avail services other than distribution of food grain under the public distribution system (PDS), supply of kerosene oil and liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

The apex court did not modify the 11 August order restricting the use of the card, instead referring the matter to a larger bench. Justice J. Chelameswar was responding to a number of petition seeking modification of the earlier order. The matter will now be heard before a constitution bench under Chief Justice H.L. Dattu.

This effectively means that the much-hyped Aadhar card will not be of use while opening bank accounts and getting new phone connections. The ambitious unique identification number (UID) scheme has raised privacy concerns in the past.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.