The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to respond to a request to link property to Aadhaar.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Centre to file a response to a petition seeking the connection of residents’ immovable and movable property records with their Aadhaar numbers in order to combat corruption, black money production, and ‘benami’ transactions.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Yashwant Varma gave the ministries of Finance, Law, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Rural Development four weeks to respond to the case.

The bench, which stated orally that “it is a good issue and let replies come,” scheduled a hearing on July 18 for further consideration.

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and Central Government Standing Counsel Manish Mohan, who represented the Centre, referred to the matter as “critical.”

Petitioner and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay stated that it is the state’s responsibility to take appropriate steps to combat corruption and recover ‘benami’ properties obtained through illicit means in order to send a clear message that the government is committed to combating corruption and black money generation.

“If the government links the property to Aadhaar, it will result in a 2% increase in annual growth.” It will clean up the election process, which is controlled by black money and benami transactions and feeds on a cycle of massive black investments…the use of governmental power to acquire a private fortune, all with the citizen’s disdain,” according to the petition.

According to the petition, ‘benami’ transactions in high denomination currencies are employed in criminal activities such as terrorism, naxalism, gambling, money laundering, and so on.

“It also drives up the cost of vital goods as well as major assets such as real estate and gold.” These issues can be alleviated to a large extent by tying mobile and immovable properties to the owner’s Aadhaar number,” it adds.

The Delhi government stated in an affidavit filed in the lawsuit in 2019 that Aadhaar is accepted as proof of identification for property registration and land modification, but it is just an optional obligation and there is no provision in the legislation making it necessary.