A Mangalore scheme forced me to link Aadhaar to my mobile number. Is this constitutional after the Supreme Court ruling?

Detailed Legal Analysis

The Mangalore scheme that mandates linking Aadhaar to your mobile number is likely unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court's ruling in 2018, which established that Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for services such as mobile connections.

In the landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court of India in the case of Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2018), the Court held that:

• Aadhaar is not mandatory for services not related to welfare schemes.
• Linking Aadhaar to mobile numbers infringes on the right to privacy, which is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
• Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, specifies that Aadhaar can only be required for the delivery of benefits and services funded by the government.

The Supreme Court's ruling emphasized that:

• Individuals cannot be coerced into providing their Aadhaar number for services that do not involve governmental benefits.
• Privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21, and any requirement to link personal data (like Aadhaar) to services should have a justifiable purpose.

Considering these points, the compulsory linking of Aadhaar to mobile numbers under any Mangalore scheme can be seen as a violation of the directives set forth by the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have also indicated that Aadhaar should not be a mandatory requirement for obtaining mobile services.

In light of the above, if you are being compelled to link your Aadhaar to your mobile number:

• You may lodge a complaint with the appropriate authorities.
• Consider approaching the judiciary to challenge the scheme based on the Supreme Court's ruling.
• Stay informed about your rights regarding privacy and data protection as outlined in the Constitution.

In summary, the scheme you are referring to may not stand under constitutional scrutiny due to the Supreme Court's clear stance on the matter, reinforcing the importance of individual rights and privacy in the context of Aadhaar linkage.