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Aadhaar not ‘totalitarian’: Centre
(Argument in the court over Aadhaar) Context
- Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal on Friday objected to arguments made by petitioners Advocate Shyam Divan that Aadhaar was driving India into a “concentration camp.”
The argument
- The Supreme Court had pinpointed that constitutionality of the scheme for Aadhaar has to be decided “once and for all” and probably by a nine-judge Bench.
- Senior advocate Shyam Divan, for the petitioners, argued that Aadhaar was reminiscent of 1984, a work by George Orwell about the totalitarian state where everybody and everything is watched by the ‘Big Brother state.’
- Sparks flew at the hearing post advocate Diwan’s statement.
- Being critical of Children getting their thumb prints for enrolling for Aadhaar, Divan called India into becoming a concentration camp.
- The new notifications even intend to withhold welfare benefits for those without Aadhaar.
Counter argument
- Mr. Venugopal said Aadhaar had helped over 350 million poor.
- The tragedy of it is all that money intended for public welfare schemes was swallowed up en route.
- After Aadhaar, people are getting their money and benefits, Mr. Venugopal submitted.
- He called Mr. Divan’s remark on the country becoming a concentration camp as hyperbolic and rather unparliamentary.
- Mr. Venugopal, who had earlier agreed to team up with Mr. Divan to approach the CJI for setting up an appropriate Bench to decide the constitutionality of Aadhaar, threatened to withdraw.