SC extends deadline for Aadhaar linking for all services

The deadline to link one's Aadhaar for all services including bank accounts and mobile phones has been extended till March 31, 2018, the Supreme Court ordered on Friday.

Existing Aadhaar cardholders will have to furnish their details to open new bank accounts. Those who are yet to receive their unique identification number will have time until March to complete the process. Non-Aadhaar cardholders can open new accounts provided they furnish proof of application for an Aadhar card.

"Those who already have Aadhaar cannot go on [open a new bank account] without Aadhaar. If they have Aadhaar, they will have to furnish it to the bank," a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra clarified on Friday.

"You see, there is no question of producing Aadhaar enrollment application for those who already possess Aadhaar cards," Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who authored the interim order for the five-judge constitution Bench, said.

On Thursday, a five-judge constitution bench that included Justices AK Sikri, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan heard several arguments against the Centre's direction for mandatory linking of one's Aadhaar to almost 139 welfare schemes.

The top court will now hear every challenge to the constitutionality of the Aadhar in January.