The Supreme court of India, on 9th June, stayed the linking of PAN cards with Aadhaar card numbers partially until the issue of Article 21 (concerning right to privacy) of the Constitution is decided by the Constitution bench.
It said that PAN cards will not be made invalid if they are not linked with aadhaar number until the larger issue of privacy is decided upon by the Supreme court.
The bench said, “we are of the opinion that till Article 21 (concerning right to privacy) of the Constitution is decided by the Constitution bench, a partial stay is required (on section 139 AA of IT Act).”
The bench also expressed concern about the Aadhaar data-leaks by saying “The government to take proper and appropriate steps and the scheme in this regard has to be devised at the earliest till confidence among the citizens that the data would not be leaked.”