Made Aadhaar mandatory to prevent fund diversion to shell companies: Centre

The SC said that it had made it clear that the Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory.

The centre on Thursday justified making Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns. Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi said that the centre had found a number of PAN cards being used to divert funds.

Further the AG said funds were being diverted to shell companies and the only way to prevent the same was to make Aadhaar mandatory for filing of income tax returns. The AG was responding to a query from the Supreme Court which had asked why Aadhaar was made mandatory.

The SC said that it had made it clear that the Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory. "It should be optional," the SC had observed in its last date of hearing. "We have passed an order to this effect despite which you have made Aadhar mandatory," the SC reminded the Centre.

Giving the Centre more time to argue its case, the Supreme Court said that it will hear the matter on April 26.

OneIndia News