Stories
Delhi HC to Hear Plea Against Mandatory Aadhaar for LPG Booking
- •New rules mandate biometric Aadhaar verification for LPG cylinder booking, causing difficulties for some consumers.
- •The Delhi High Court has sought replies from the central government and oil companies regarding a petition challenging the mandatory biometric Aadhaar authentication for gas refill booking from October 1.
- •A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Kariya will hear the matter on October 5, acknowledging potential problems for some individuals.
- •The High Court noted that not everyone has Aadhaar, and the system may pose challenges for disabled individuals, citing a visually impaired petitioner.
- •The new system requires an OTP to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number for booking, raising concerns for customers without Aadhaar facilities.
Key Questions Answered
A petition was filed because the mandatory biometric and iris authentication process causes significant difficulties for citizens without Aadhaar and for disabled individuals, such as a 75% visually impaired petitioner who faces hurdles with iris recognition, while forcing them to buy smaller cylinders at market rates denies them regular domestic cylinder benefits.
Oil companies have arranged that when booking an LPG cylinder, an OTP is sent to the mobile number linked to Aadhaar, and the cylinder can only be booked after entering this code. Additionally, biometric Aadhaar authentication has been made mandatory for refill bookings starting October 1.
The Delhi High Court accepted the petition and sought responses from the central government and oil and gas companies, with a bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Kariya scheduling the hearing for October 5. The court noted that not everyone in the country possesses an Aadhaar card, yet many still rely on LPG for their daily needs.
