The Central Board of Direct Taxes on Monday said that the last date for the mandatory linking of the Permanent Account Number with the Aadhaar card has been extended from December 31, 2019 to March 31, 2020. This is the eighth time that the Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the deadline, PTI reported.
On December 16, the Income Tax Department had said it was mandatory to link the PAN card with the Aadhaar card on or before December 31. “Building a better tomorrow! To reap seamless benefits of income tax services, complete the vital link before December 31, 2019,” the department had said in a notification.
The Supreme Court in September last year had declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme constitutionally valid. It had also said that the biometric identity would remain mandatory for filing of income tax returns and allotment of PAN. However, the court said said private entities cannot be allowed to use the data even for voluntary authentication of customers’ details.
On November 22 this year, the Supreme Court sought the Narendra Modi government’s response to a petition challenging the constitutional validity of amendments made to the Aadhaar Act by Parliament in July. Retired Army officer SG Vombatkere and human rights activist Bezwada Wilson had alleged that the amendments violated previous judgements of the top court.
The amendments made the use of Aadhaar for opening bank accounts and procuring mobile phone connections voluntary. The amendments also provide for a Rs 1-crore penalty and a jail term for private entities for storing Aadhaar data.
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