NEW DELHI: With just around 15 crore of the country's population left to enrol for Aadhaar , the Centre has termed the petitioners' arguments in the Supreme Court opposing mandatory registration for the UID number as an " elitist bias " which severely undermined its crucial role in checking massive pilferage of subsidies given to the poor under various welfare schemes.

In an affidavit submitted in the SC, the government said, "The petitioners' argument fails to consider positive duties of the State, which reflects the elite nature of the petitioners, who were more concerned with the rights of privacy over say, right to food or right to receive targeted subsidised LPG."

In its submission to the SC, the Centre argued that the petition is not representative of the larger population of the country which is reflected in the fact that more than 115.15 crore citizens have already enrolled and allocated Aadhaar number.

The affidavit said with almost the entire population having been covered by Aadhaar, the petitioners' apprehensions of so called "large-scale exclusion" of the people from government subsidies or benefits due to lack of Aadhaar card was "misplaced, self-contradictory and unfounded".

"This is classic case where crores of individuals who have enrolled for the Aadhaar number have not complained of violation of fundamental rights, while a handful of individuals who are not aggrieved by the Act are questioning its vires and consequently, the benefits it seeks to make available to the poorer and weaker sections of society," the Centre said.

The Centre argued that 'human rights' which traditionally means protecting individual freedom against state intrusion required a radical revision.

"Human rights are based on a far richer view of freedom, which goes beyond being left alone, and instead pays attention to individuals' ability to exercise their rights. The petitioners' argument fails to consider positive duties on the state, which reflects the elite nature of the petitioners, who are more concerned with rights of privacy over, say, right to food, or right to receive targeted subsidised LPG," it added.

