Consider the following statements:
1. Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
2. State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing of Aadhaar data.
3. Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
4. Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
In the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs. Union of India (2018):
– Statement 1 is incorrect: The Supreme Court read down the Aadhaar authentication regulations to clarify that transaction and authentication metadata cannot be retained beyond six months (striking down the earlier regulatory provision allowing retention for five years), not three months.
– Statement 2 is correct: The Court struck down a portion of Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, holding that the State cannot authorize private corporations to seek Aadhaar identification or data under private commercial contracts.
– Statement 3 is incorrect: IRDAI issued circulars in 2019 confirming that Aadhaar is not mandatory for purchasing insurance policies, withdrawing earlier mandates.
– Statement 4 is correct: The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, ruling that the government can mandate Aadhaar authentication for receiving subsidies, welfare benefits, and services funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
Therefore, statements 2 and 4 are correct — Option B.