Delhi High Court seeks Centre's reply on mandatory biometric Aadhaar for LPG refills
A PIL challenges the requirement of biometric Aadhaar authentication for booking domestic LPG refills, which it says could affect about 3.16 crore customers.
The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to state its position on the government's decision to make biometric Aadhaar authentication (BAA) mandatory for booking refills of domestic LPG cylinders. The court was hearing a public interest litigation challenging the decision.
The matter was heard by a Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia. The Bench asked the Centre's counsel to take instructions and clarify the government's stand at the next hearing.
During the hearing, the Bench also observed that not every person in the country has an Aadhaar card. This raises a question about the position of such domestic LPG consumers.
The PIL has been filed by lawyer Pulkit Luthra, who says he is 75 per cent permanently visually impaired. The petition claims that the mandatory biometric authentication process could cause great difficulty for some customers with disabilities, including visually impaired people, and for those with physical difficulties.
The petition challenges a letter dated September 17 that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas sent to Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). It also challenges a press release issued on September 19. According to the petition, one provision linked to the decision is that customers who do not complete biometric Aadhaar authentication may see their LPG refills affected.
The petitioner says about 3.16 crore LPG customers could be affected. The petition states that there is not sufficient legal basis for making biometric authentication mandatory. The petitioner also says the process goes beyond the permission given in the Aadhaar Act, 2016, and violates rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The petition argues that failure to complete authentication is often due to reasons beyond the customer's control rather than choice. It says the arrangement has no adequate alternative for the elderly, customers with disabilities, and those who face difficulty with biometric authentication because of age or physical limitations.
According to the petition, the supply of 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinders to customers who do not want to or cannot undergo biometric authentication could be affected. Such customers could be offered, subject to availability, 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders at market price. Customers are concerned about how this would affect access to LPG at subsidised and controlled retail rates.
Attention now turns to the Centre's stand on the rule at the next hearing. The court has not given any final decision on the petition. The actual impact on LPG customers and the way forward will become clear only after the hearing and the Centre's response.
