Decision on pleas seeking stay on Aadhaar linking

New Delhi, Dec 14: The batch of pleas which are seeking stay on mandatory linking of Aadhaar will get to know the decision of Supreme court on Friday.

The SC has reserved the decision for tommorrow as the centre extended the deadline upto March 31 next year.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra which included four more judges said the the final hearing on the petitions challenging the Aadhaar scheme itself would commence from January 17 next year.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing the Centre, said the government was willing to extend the deadline up to March 31 next year for mandatory linking of the national biometric identifier to avail the benefit of various services and welfare measures.

Venugopal, however, told the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, that the Aadhaar should be allowed to remain mandatory for opening of new bank accounts.