The Bombay Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Maharashtra center and government to clarify whether an aadhaar card is required for prisoners to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
A bank owned by Supreme Judge Dipankar Datta and Judge GS Kulkarni overheard a public interest litigation (PIL) aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19 in prisons across Maharashtra.
The court found that an aadhaar card is important to identify the person receiving the Covid-19 vaccination and to maintain a nationwide database. However, the court found that the central and state governments should find a solution to vaccinate citizens across the country, especially prisoners who may not have an aadhaar card.
The court was informed by Professor Vijay Raghavan of the Tata Institute of Social Services that several prisoners were not vaccinated because they did not have a valid aadhaar card.
The court further noted: “Those who do not have an Aadhaar card will not be vaccinated. For political reasons, please decide. On the grounds that you do not have an Aadhaar card and are not vaccinated. That cannot.” was the situation, “said Chief Justice Datta.
The Supreme Court also asked the Maharashtra government if there was any mechanism to determine whether or not a prisoner had an aadhaar card.
“Let’s say a defendant is asked by the judge whether or not he has an aadhaar card and he says no, what can be done about it? Can’t you check that?” The court said.
Regarding the practice of collecting biometric data from people traveling abroad, the court asked whether a similar mechanism could be used to verify whether or not a defendant has an Aadhaar card.
Advocate General (AG) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, who appeared for the state government, replied that the issue of vaccination against aadhaar was an urgent issue in most prisons as some prisoners were foreigners.
“You cannot have aadhaar. Prison authorities have already written to central and state authorities on this issue of the mandatory aadhaar card for the vaccine,” he said.
Making prisoners’ aadhaar vaccine compulsory is a “major political issue affecting all of India,” the Supreme Court found.
The court also asked if it was possible to hold vaccination camps in prisons.
The Supreme Court ordered AG Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to discuss the matter with the Centre’s attorney, additional Attorney General Anil Singh, and to inform the court on May 4th, the next hearing.
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