One of the 30 petitioners who have questioned the constitutional
validity of Aadhaar in a two-month-long hearing has told the Supreme
Court that he can’t apply for the 12-digit biometric number because he
is a devoted Christian.
According to media, senior advocate and
activist Sanjay Hegde, appearing on behalf of one John Abraham, told the
court the petitioner and his family are “devoted Christians” and seek
exemption from the Aadhaar scheme on the grounds of being “conscientious
objectors” to the same.
“The petitioner holds 66 books that
constitute the Holy Bible as sacred, inerrant and inviolable Holy
Scripture. This includes the prophetic Book of Revelation… a prophetic
warning against un-Christian practices,” Abraham’s said in his petition.
Saying
that the petitioner believes that Aadhaar is the “mark and number of
the beast”, Hegde told the apex court the admission of his client’s son
to St Xavier’s College in Bombay was rejected because he did not have an
Aadhaar card.
“He simply claims that his individual conscience,
based on his individual study of the Holy Bible leads him to the
inescapable conclusion that he cannot in good faith apply for an Aadhaar
number,” the petition reads.
According to the media’s report,
Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra, who heads the constitution
bench that is hearing the case, said that the Supreme Court would not go
into the religious issue.
On Wednesday, the Centre will start
presenting its arguments on issues raised by petitioners. Over the last
two months, at least 30 petitioners have laid out their arguments
against the Centre’s decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for various
services. The apex court began hearing the petitions on 17 January.
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