<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Supreme Court today extended the March 31 deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes run by the government.&nbsp;</span></div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">This relaxation will be effective till the constitution bench delivers a final verdict on the validity of Aadhaar number and its enabling law.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">The extension of deadline would also apply on the mandatory linking with the bank accounts and mobile phone numbers.</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra extended the deadline after the Centre agreed to extend the March 31 deadline for linking Aadhaar with all services and welfare schemes.</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">On December 15 last year, the apex court had extended till March 31 the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">Earlier, the top court had observed that the alleged defect of citizens' biometric details under the Aadhaar scheme being collected without any law could be cured by subsequently bringing in a statute.</div></div>