Aadhar mandatory for getting death certificates 

While the nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court is still contemplating whether privacy is a fundamental right vis-a-vis whether Aadhar should be mandatory, the government is taking rather quick decisions in the matter. Case in point is the government’s decision to make Aadhar mandatory for registration of death to prevent identity fraud across all states, barring Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Assam.

The decision that was announced on August 4 will come in effect from October 1, 2017, the Home Ministry said in a statement.

In case the applicant is unaware of the deceased’s Aadhaar number, the government has mandated the submission of an affidavit with the applicant’s Aadhar number. This would make a false declaration punishable under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969.

This, however, isn’t the first time that Aadhar is being made mandatory. Earlier the use of unique identification number was made mandatory for filing IT returns, getting a PAN number, getting a pension through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, availing government subsidies for LPG and possibly for concessions on rail tickets from January 1 next year.