From 1st July Anyone Who Has Aadhaar Must Mention It In ITR

Much debate has been going on about whether Aadhaar must be provided in income tax return. Recently, the Supreme Court of India has said that if you have an Aadhaar Card you must mention it while filing your income tax return.

Here is a brief summary of the honorable Supreme Court’s decision :

• Starting 1st July, anyone who has an Aadhaar Card must mention it in their tax return.

• Those who do not have an Aadhaar Card and do not wish to get one, can still file their tax returns without Aadhaar. For such persons, PAN will not be cancelled.

Do note that returns can still be filed until 30th June 2017 without mentioning Aadhaar number.

This decision has come in the wake of an ongoing case in the Supreme Court challenging the linkage of Aadhaar with income tax return. This is based on the premise that such linkage is a threat and invasion of ‘privacy’ of an individual and details of his/her personal income should not be mandatorily linked with Aadhaar.

Another decision is pending in the same court regarding privacy concerns of Aadhaar in general. A constitutional bench has been asked to review Aadhaar law and privacy rights of citizens of India due to its use. Therefore, the Supreme Court has ruled that no PAN can be cancelled due to non-linkage with Aadhaar.