Delhi High Court Seeks Government Reply on Plea Against Aadhaar Rule for Subsidised LPG

The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, and public sector oil companies to reply to a petition challenging the use of mandatory biometric Aadhaar authentication for subsidised LPG refills. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notices on Wednesday, giving the respondents two weeks to submit their answers. The court has scheduled the next hearing for November 18.

Petitioner Arguments

Lawyer Pulkit Luthra filed the public interest litigation, pointing out that he has a 75 percent permanent visual disability. He argued that biometric verification methods like iris scanning create major problems for visually impaired people and others who struggle to finish the check. Senior advocate Zoheb Hossain, representing Mr. Luthra, told the court that the government order goes against the law and previous Supreme Court judgments on Aadhaar. He asked for interim relief at the upcoming hearing because subsidised LPG supplies under the old system were stopped starting October 1. The petition notes that this rule impacts 3.16 crore consumers and lacks proper legal backing under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

Government Response

Attorney General R. Venkataramani defended the policy for the Centre, stating that the step stops the misuse of government subsidies. He told the court that past schemes saw complete abuse of these funds, but promised that the needs of disabled citizens will be looked after. The legal challenge targets a September 17 communication from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, along with a press release issued on September 19.

Context

Public interest litigations allow citizens to approach courts on issues affecting public welfare or large groups of people who might face barriers to seeking legal remedy themselves. Aadhaar authentication systems are frequently debated in legal forums regarding privacy concerns, statutory limits, and accessibility for vulnerable populations.