Constitution Bench of Supreme Court starts hearing petitions challenging Aadhar

The five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and four other judges Justices AM Khanwilkar, Adarsh Kumar Sikri, DY Chandrachud, and Ashok Bhushan are hearing the constitutional validity of Aadhaar card.

The A five-judge Constitution Bench will be hearing petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar card and its mandatory linkage with several services along with other important cases.

The Top Court on Monday had announced that a five-judge Constitution Bench will begin hearing seven focal cases from January 18 including petition challenging the criminalisation of homosexuality (Section 377 case), the provision of adultery in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which says only men can be punished for adultery but not women, restrictions on the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple, and a Parsi woman who is barred to enter a fire temple because she married outside her religion. 

Petitions on taxation and consumer laws will also be taken up by the Bench. Another important plea seeking disqualification of legislators facing criminal cases at the stage of charges being framed would also be heard.

It is noteworthy that none of the four senior Supreme Court judges who questioned Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s conduct in the allocation of important cases has found a place in the five-judge Constitution bench.