One of the 30 petitioners who have questioned the constitutional validity of Aadhaar in a two-month-long hearing has told the Supreme Court that he can’t apply for the 12-digit biometric number because he is a devoted Christian.

According to NDTV, senior advocate and activist Sanjay Hegde, appearing on behalf of one John Abraham, told the court the petitioner and his family are "devoted Christians" and seek exemption from the Aadhaar scheme on the grounds of being "conscientious objectors" to the same.

"The petitioner holds 66 books that constitute the Holy Bible as sacred, inerrant and inviolable Holy Scripture. This includes the prophetic Book of Revelation... a prophetic warning against un-Christian practices," Abraham’s said in his petition.

Saying that the petitioner believes that Aadhaar is the "mark and number of the beast", Hegde told the apex court the admission of his client’s son to St Xavier's College in Bombay was rejected because he did not have an Aadhaar card.

"He simply claims that his individual conscience, based on his individual study of the Holy Bible leads him to the inescapable conclusion that he cannot in good faith apply for an Aadhaar number," the petition reads.

According to the channel’s report, Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra, who heads the constitution bench that is hearing the case, said that the Supreme Court would not go into the religious issue.

On Wednesday, the Centre will start presenting its arguments on issues raised by petitioners. Over the last two months, at least 30 petitioners have laid out their arguments against the Centre’s decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for various services. The apex court began hearing the petitions on 17 January.

Devoted Christian

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