Kerala being a progressive State should desist from any move to make Aadhaar number mandatory for any public service, Magsaysay award-winner and one of the founders of the iconic Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA) Bezwada Wilson has said.
He was talking to The Hindu over phone in the wake of a petition he filed with the Kerala High Court against the State government move to make Aadhaar key to access a portal being introduced for various civic registrations. Digital rights organisations had since then backed his fight to question the move.
“Even during the pandemic, Kerala has done reasonably good work and so we expect it to take the lead and hear the other side in not using the Aadhaar for accessing public services unlike other States, which may take such unilateral decision claiming that they have the mandate. We genuinely hope that there will be some positive outcome,” said Mr. Wilson.
The State government proposes to introduce Integrated Local Self Governance Management System and a portal being set up in this connection for various civic registrations — from birth, death, and marriage certificates to payment of taxes and pensions. The portal, it is learnt, would be accessible only on providing the Aadhaar number.
He plans to extend the fight against Aadhaar to every single State where it is to be used for accessing a public service. “We have learnt that Haryana is planning to come up with some Aadhaar-based project and we will question its legal validity as well,” Mr. Wilson said.
He said Aadhaar amounted to intrusion into privacy and reduced citizens to mere numbers while enabling the government to take full control of their lives. He cited how time and again Aadhaar data got leaked to private corporates, thus exposing its susceptibility.
Mr. Wilson said he had written to all State Chief Secretaries against using Aadhaar while a case was under way at the apex court on the constitutionality of Aadhaar. “It should not be used even for the distribution of subsidies as subsidies are no charity but the right of the poor. Governments can use any of the other numerous valid identification documents available,” he said.
By using Aadhaar, the government was violating the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution. Mr. Wilson wondered why the governments were not coming clean on why they insisted on Aadhaar but instead posed the wrong question of “why not Aadhaar”.
