Aadhaar Bill was Money Bill, Says Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that bringing a finance bill as an ordinary bill is a fraud on the Constitution and not “bringing a money bill as a money bill”, implying that Aadhaar Bill was indeed a finance bill.

“A money bill can only be brought as a money bill. The finance bill cannot be brought as anything other than a money bill,” Jaitley said in response to a question by IANS whether the government could have brought the Aadhaar Bill as a non-money bill and stood the scrutiny of the Rajya Sabha.

In a minority judgment on Wednesday, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud — who was on the five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court that examined the legality of Aadhaar — held that passing the Aadhaar law as money bill was a “fraud on the Constitution” because it was not a money bill. “When a government brings a bill as a money bill it runs another risk. If a normal legislation falls, the government does not resign. But if a money bill falls, the government resigns. Therefore, the government takes a risk (in bringing a legislation as a money bill),” Jaitley said.

The Minister pointed out that the Article 110 of the Constitution, which defines a money bill, says a bill shall be deemed to be a money bill “only and if only” certain conditions are met. “It uses the word only and if only twice,” Jaitley, who is also a senior Supreme Court lawyer, said. (IANS)