The Supreme Court directed the authorities not to insist on requesting individuals for their Aadhaar card for vaccination after the Central government told the court on Monday that giving Aadhaar card details is not an essential pre-condition for the COVID-19 vaccine on the CO-WIN site.
A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant asked the authorities not to insist on producing an Aadhaar card as the only proof of identification for administering COVID-19 vaccination while deciding on a PIL alleging that some centers require an Aadhaar card for immunization.
“In the petition, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) filed an affidavit. It expressly states that the Aadhaar card is not required for registration on the CO-WIN portal and that any of the nine papers can be used in its place. Obtaining vaccination does not necessitate the production of an Aadhaar card. The petitioner’s complaint is adequately addressed. All relevant authorities must act following the health ministry’s policy.” While dismissing the PIL, the Bench said.
The ministry’s lawyer, Aman Sharma, told the court that Aadhaar is not the primary need and that 87 lakh persons without any form of identification had been vaccinated.
It had also requested that the Centre order the CO-WIN site to be updated with suitable software/technical know-how, making it user-friendly, easy to use, and accessible to all Indian people.
