Calcutta HC to Centre: Submit report over Aadhaar to cerebral palsy patient

Kolkata: The Calcutta high court on Thursday directed the Centre to submit an affidavit on steps taken to get the Aadhaar card of a youth suffering from cerebral palsy done. Justice Debangshu Basak directed the Centre to inform the court on November 13 as to what steps it was taking to ensure that the Aadhaar card of the youth was made within the requisite time frame. The direction came on a petition by Nupur Moitra, mother of 27-year-old Sanat who is suffering from acute cerebral palsy.

Moving the petition before the court, Ms Moitra’s counsel Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee submitted that youth was suffering from 83 per cent disability and cannot sit or look straight and cannot stretch his fingers. Mr Chatterjee said in April 2016, Sanath was taken to an Aadhaar enrolment camp, but retina scan and fingerprinting could not be done owing to his physical disabilities. Since then he has been taken to several other Aadhaar camps, but every attempt has failed, the lawyer told the court. 

Mr Chatterjee submitted that there are provisions in Aadhaar Act 2016 which say that software can be updated and officials may go to the residence of specific people to ensure that children, aged and disabled people have their cards are made. He also submitted that with the December deadline fixed by the Centre for Aadhaar linking of several important services nearing, steps need to be taken very soon to ensure that the youth’s rights to such services are ensured. 

The court then asked the lawyer for the Centre to state on November 13, when the matter would be heard again, what it would be doing to ensure that the youth’s Aadhaar card is made.