A two-judge panel of Telangana High Court, consist of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, received additional documents filed by the petitioners in the PILs questioning Aadhaar's insistence on the registration of non-agricultural properties on the Dharani portal and other government information from the people. Before the PILs were determined, the panel advised the government not to extend the current Act to the proposed areas in Telangana.

HC Seeking Documents for Registration in Line with Aadhaar Act

The government claimed in its counter that the three welfare schemes aimed at the agricultural land of the owners were - Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and waiver of crop loans. The Telangana government's consolidated budget funded the schemes. According to the government, the insistence on separate documents is in line with the Aadhaar Act. The state depended on various updates based on which it was empowered.

It also declared that the portal called Dharani was conceived to provide immediate transfer of the title and to harness the available technology. The government argued that the present writ petitions were filed probably with an oblique reason to stall the government's greater objective, such types of public interest litigation tend to put a spotlight on the state's welfare activities.

It was also pointed out that the platform was built to prevent the impersonation of individuals from making arrangements for identity confirmation and from ensuring that the digital signatures of the competent authority on all transactions ensure that records are not manipulated. The counter-argued that such documents also serve as the basis for various government welfare systems in which residents are provided with a targeted provision of financial and other subsidies, benefits, and services.

The government demanded that the temporary order passed on November 3 be vacated in a 13-page affidavit outlining numerous other advantages. The concerns will continue to be heard by the panel on December 31.

By: Shailaja K