The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the central government to respond to a public interest plea challenging the decision to make biometric Aadhaar authentication compulsory for domestic LPG consumers who want refills at the regulated retail price with the applicable subsidy from October 1.
Court issues notice, gives two weeks for reply
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notices to the central government, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and public sector oil marketing companies, giving them two weeks to file their responses. The court listed the matter for the next hearing on November 18.
The PIL has been filed by Pulkit Luthra, a practising lawyer with 75 per cent permanent visual disability. He has challenged a September 17 letter from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, followed by a September 19 press release, under which consumers who do not complete biometric authentication would be blocked from booking the regular 14.2-kg domestic cylinder at the regulated price and would instead have to buy five-kg or ten-kg cylinders at market rates.
Petitioner flags hardship for disabled consumers
Luthra argued that the mandatory biometric authentication process, which includes iris-based authentication, causes serious difficulty for him and other visually impaired consumers. His counsel, senior advocate Zoheb Hossain, told the court that the decision goes against the law and the Supreme Court's judgment on Aadhaar, and contended that the supply of subsidised refills had effectively stopped for affected consumers since October 1. He urged the court to consider interim relief at the next hearing.
Attorney General R Venkataramani defended the move, saying it was aimed at checking the abuse of the subsidy and assuring the court that persons with disabilities would be taken care of. The petitioner has claimed that the mandate affects roughly 3.16 crore consumers and lacks adequate statutory backing under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
Sources: The Economic Times, CNBC-TV18, The Times of India
Court issues notice, gives two weeks for reply
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notices to the central government, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and public sector oil marketing companies, giving them two weeks to file their responses. The court listed the matter for the next hearing on November 18.
The PIL has been filed by Pulkit Luthra, a practising lawyer with 75 per cent permanent visual disability. He has challenged a September 17 letter from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, followed by a September 19 press release, under which consumers who do not complete biometric authentication would be blocked from booking the regular 14.2-kg domestic cylinder at the regulated price and would instead have to buy five-kg or ten-kg cylinders at market rates.
Petitioner flags hardship for disabled consumers
Luthra argued that the mandatory biometric authentication process, which includes iris-based authentication, causes serious difficulty for him and other visually impaired consumers. His counsel, senior advocate Zoheb Hossain, told the court that the decision goes against the law and the Supreme Court's judgment on Aadhaar, and contended that the supply of subsidised refills had effectively stopped for affected consumers since October 1. He urged the court to consider interim relief at the next hearing.
Attorney General R Venkataramani defended the move, saying it was aimed at checking the abuse of the subsidy and assuring the court that persons with disabilities would be taken care of. The petitioner has claimed that the mandate affects roughly 3.16 crore consumers and lacks adequate statutory backing under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
Sources: The Economic Times, CNBC-TV18, The Times of India
