Delhi HC asks govt to clarify Aadhaar not must for schools
Abhinav Garg | TNN | Updated: Oct 2, 2018, 02:31 IST
The government had earlier directed schools to collect Aadhaar and voter ID details of students, including inf... Read MoreNEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Monday directed the AAP government to clarify by way of a notification that Aadhaar is not mandatory for schools while seeking data from parents to improve educational services.
Citing the recent Supreme Court verdict, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar said the government should issue a “corrigendum” by way of an additional circular clarifying that Aadhaar is an optional ID for parents to give details to the schools.
The government had earlier directed schools to collect Aadhaar and voter ID details of students, including information about their parents and siblings.
The move had then been challenged by the Government School Teachers Association where it questioned the September 11 circular of the Directorate of Education (DoE) that asked schools in Delhi to collect the details of over 87 lakh students and their family by September 21.
In its plea the petitioners contended that the documents and signatures were being sought in complete violation of law by insisting on Aadhaar. With the SC ruling making Aadhaar optional, the government, through standing counsel Ramesh Singh on Monday, assured the bench that it will clarify that Aadhaar remains optional. It also informed the court that intention behind collecting the data was to improve targeted delivery of subsidy in the form of midday meals and re-imbursements to economically poor section students. These are the mandate under the Right to Education Act, the government added.
HC then disposed of the plea after taking on record the undertaking by the government.
According to the DoE circular, Aadhaar and voter ID details must be corroborated by obtaining self-attested photocopies of the documents. However, the plea had alleged that such exercise “would be an unnecessary burden on the students, teachers and the entire education machinery of the state of Delhi.”
Citing the recent Supreme Court verdict, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar said the government should issue a “corrigendum” by way of an additional circular clarifying that Aadhaar is an optional ID for parents to give details to the schools.
The government had earlier directed schools to collect Aadhaar and voter ID details of students, including information about their parents and siblings.
The move had then been challenged by the Government School Teachers Association where it questioned the September 11 circular of the Directorate of Education (DoE) that asked schools in Delhi to collect the details of over 87 lakh students and their family by September 21.
In its plea the petitioners contended that the documents and signatures were being sought in complete violation of law by insisting on Aadhaar. With the SC ruling making Aadhaar optional, the government, through standing counsel Ramesh Singh on Monday, assured the bench that it will clarify that Aadhaar remains optional. It also informed the court that intention behind collecting the data was to improve targeted delivery of subsidy in the form of midday meals and re-imbursements to economically poor section students. These are the mandate under the Right to Education Act, the government added.
HC then disposed of the plea after taking on record the undertaking by the government.
According to the DoE circular, Aadhaar and voter ID details must be corroborated by obtaining self-attested photocopies of the documents. However, the plea had alleged that such exercise “would be an unnecessary burden on the students, teachers and the entire education machinery of the state of Delhi.”
