Delhi HC Seeks Centre’s Reply On Ashwini Upadhyay’s Plea To Link Properties With Aadhaar

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the Ministries of Finance and Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to file their replies to a petition demanding linking of movable and immovable property documents with Aadhaar.

A division bench comprised of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Yashwant Varma also sought responses from the Ministries of Rural Development and Law.

The Court was hearing a petition filed in 2019 by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay. Upadhyay was asked in September of last year to make the various union government ministries parties to the case.

When the case was heard today, the court noted that the registry had pointed out various flaws in Upadhyay’s application. The Court then ordered him to correct those flaws and asked that the government authorities to file their responses.

Chetan Sharma, Additional Solicitor General (ASG), appearing for the Central Government stated that the case raised an important issue.

The case is now listed for further consideration on July 18, 2023.

Upadhyay moved the Court, arguing that linking Aadhaar with property documents would reduce corruption, black money, and benami transactions.

He stated that the government is obligated to take appropriate steps to combat corruption and black money, as well as seize benami properties, in order to achieve the goals, set under Article 21 of the Constitution.

He submitted that linking movable and immovable properties with the owner’s Aadhaar number could be a solution to the problem.

“Black money holders would be forced to declare their unaudited movable and immovable properties, and it would take years for that amount of benami property to be generated again. As a result, it will go a long way towards putting an end to the production of black money.”

Upadhyay further argued that if the government made it compulsory to link property documents with Aadhaar, it would result to an increment of 2% in annual growth.

“(Linking Aadhaar with property documents) will clean our electoral process, which is dominated by black-money and benami transactions and thrives on a cycle of large black investments, capture of power through foul means, and use of political strength to amass private wealth, all with disdain,” the plea added.