Shillong, Aug 26: The Meghalaya Peoples’ Committee on Aadhaar (MPCA) has expressed its appreciation to the nine-judge Constitutional Bench for having come out with a “unanimous and historic” ruling that the Right to Privacy is a fundamental right.

The MPCA also urged upon all concerned and at various levels of authority not to breach upon the right of privacy of each and every individual while attempting to get maximum number of persons for Aadhaar enrolment, during a given period of time.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, the MPCA said, “in that, it is intrinsic to life and liberty and has thus overruled its own eight-judge Bench and six -judge Bench judgements delivered in 1954 and 1961 respectively, which then ruled that privacy is not protected under the Constitution.”

“This ruling has given a much wider implication and relevance to Article 21 of the Constitution as well, brought in the spirit of Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966 and also, would probably bring about rethinking on the attempt to massify human personality, dignity, peculiarities and diversities whereby the individual’s right to privacy is being belittled and made mundane through biometric data collection for all and sundry reasons,” the statement issued by MPCA leaders, Auguster Jyrwa Rev. P. B. Syngkli, Rev. K. Pyrtuh and Rev. Dr. P. B. M. Basaiawmoit.

Moreover, the statement said that the ruling would particularly serve as the base for deciding on the pending litigation against Aadhaar and enrolment tactics and modalities presently adopted are very suspicious so as not to appear breaching the interim order passed by the Supreme Court, in that , Aadhaar enrolment must be voluntary and not mandatory.

“As we have received the ruling on the Right to Privacy, so shall come the ruling on Aadhaar enrolment and registration,” the statement added.