A Guide to Litigating Identity Systems
PART FIVE:
PATHS FORWARD
DEMOCRACY, THE RULE OF LAW,
AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE
71. This analysis of the jurisprudence on identity systems leads to the conclusion
that the manner in which identity systems are introduced and designed
poses serious threats to democracy, the rule of law, and access to justice.
The Jamaican Supreme Court observed that governance in a constitutional
democracy based on the rule of law is an institutional arrangement, with
each arm performing its designated functions.313 However, the adoption of
identity systems is rarely preceded by rigorous legislative debates and
democratic deliberation.314
72. According to the dissenting opinion in the Aadhaar judgment, the passing of
the Aadhaar Act as a “Money” Bill was unconstitutional. Under the Articles of
the Indian Constitution, a Money Bill is a category of bill (draft law) that
contains provisions to deal with the specific list of matters such as the
withdrawal of money from the Consolidated Fund of India and the regulation
of taxes.315 The dissent in the Aadhaar judgment held that the incorrect
classification of the draft Aadhaar legislation as a Money Bill, amounted to “a
313 Julian J. Robinson v. The Attorney General of Jamaica, Claim No. 2018HCV01788, ¶ 167 (2019).
314 See Privacy International, The Clash between Democracy and Biometrics, 31 January 2018,
https://medium.com/@privacyint/identity-policies-the-clash-between-democracy-and-biometrics95adabd9f263 (last visited 20 November 2019).
315 Article 110 of the Indian Constitution.
72
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