Allahabad High Court seeks review petition against SC judgment on Aadhar Cards

Allahabad High Court seeks review petition against SC judgment on Aadhar Cards

Banks are responsible if cyber-criminals fraudulently take customers' money from the bank

The Supreme Court has disallowed the mandatory linking of the Aadhaar Card with bank accounts. Justice Shekhar Yadav ruled that the banks "cannot pressurize" customers for Aadhaar Card.

(The Allahabad High Court had recently agreed that a review petition ought to be filed against the Supreme Court's 2018 verdict in the Justice K S Puttaswamy versus Government of India case. The court had held that linking the Aadhaar Card with bank accounts was not mandatory).

The apex court was hearing the bail pleas of four accused persons involved in an online fraud case wherein they had cheated a former judge of the High Court, Justice Poonam Srivastava.

(In her complaint, Justice Srivastava had alleged that an unknown person had withdrawn Rs.5 lakhs from her bank account in December 2020. She had been tricked into giving personal details to the person who called her up identifying himself as a bank official).

Justice Yadav ruled, "The court agrees with the contention that a review petition should be filed in the Supreme Court regarding the Aadhaar Card. It will enable the linking of the Aadhaar Card with the bank accounts and prevent online bank fraud."

Appearing for the Central government, additional solicitor general and senior advocate S P Singh submitted that the customer through the use of the Aadhaar Card could monitor the fraudulent withdrawal of money from a bank.

Justice Yadav also observed that banks had to take responsibility when cyber-criminals fraudulently take customers' money from the bank. "Customers' money should be kept safe by the bank and if it was withdrawn by cyber-criminals, the bank would have to take the responsibility," the court ruled.