HC stays J&K govt’s order on Aadhaar

Citing the recent Supreme Court order that had allowed the use of Aadhaar card on a “voluntary basis”, the High Court sought reply from the state government. “Prime facie it appears that the government order dated February 10, 2016 has made possession of Aadhaar cards mandatory… The Honourable Supreme Court in a writ petition has observed that Aadhaar card is purely voluntary,” said the division bench comprising Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magray.

On February 10, the state government had issued the order making the “Aadhaar-based” biometric system compulsory in all government departments.