Deadline to link Aadhaar Card for social benefits is now Dec 31

New Delhi : The Centre on Wednesday informed Supreme Court that the deadline to link Aadhaar Card with various government schemes to avail social benefit has been extended till December 31, 2017.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the challenge to the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme would be heard in the first week of November after Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the court that the existing deadline of September 30 would be extended by three months.

Venugopal made the statement after senior counsel Shyam Divan, appearing for a batch of petitioners, said that if government was inclined to extend the deadline, then the matter could be heard in November. 

The top court was hearing three separate petitions challenging government’s notification making Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes.

(With inputs from IANS)