The Supreme Court today sought the Centre's response to a plea challenging the implementation of the 'AADHAAR' scheme, aimed at providing a unique identity number to all Indians, without any legislative nod. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J Chelameswar issued notice to the Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission and the Unique Identification

Authority of India (UIDAI), set up to implement the scheme, seeking their replies on the contention that the Parliament was circumvented in implementation of the scheme.

The public interest litigation petition, filed by retired Karnataka High Court judge, Justice K S Puttaswamy and advocate Parvesh Khanna questioned the government's decision of issuing AADHAAR numbers to citizens while the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 is pending before the Rajya Sabha where it was introduced on December 3, 2010. The petitioners said, the Bill, for the purpose of giving legal backing to the scheme, was referred by the Rajya Sabha to the Standing Committee (Finance) which had rejected it by overwhelming majority on December 11, 2011.

The government through its notification of January 28, 2009, had set up the UIDAI for issuance of AADHAAR numbers and cards to all Indian citizens.The petitioners in their plea have sought directions to the government to prevent it from acting upon its notification and from by-passing or circumventing the passage of the Bill by Parliament after discussion, debate and voting.