By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A woman from a village in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district has launched a legal battle against the Department of Food and Civil supplies and Consumer for insisting on having an Aadhaar card for distribution of ration under the public distribution system (PDS).

G S Sukanya, a resident of Thagachagere in Channapatna taluk, 60 km from Bengaluru, is a tailor. She has filed a petition in the High Court seeking a direction to the authorities of the Food and Civil Supplies Department not to insist on Aadhaar card for disbursing ration.

Justice A S Bopanna on Monday passed an interim order to the authorities to disburse ration which she is entitled to without producing the Aadhaar card.

Sukanya had challenged an endorsement issued by the Food and Civil Supplies Department in August 2016, denying her ration as she had not produced her Aadhaar card.

Staying the endorsement, the judge issued notice to the Secretary and Commissioner of the Department and also to the local tahsildar. Sukanya’s counsel Clifton Rozario argued that the supreme Court had indicated that the Aadhaar card was voluntary and not mandatory for getting ration and other benefits. The issue of Aadhaar is pending before the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.

The 45-year-old Sukanya, who is fighting for the cause of women and other social issues under the banner of an organisation called ‘Swaraj’, said she was well aware of the Supreme Court verdict wherein mandating Aadhaar for PDS was challenged.