The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an interim order to halt the government's decision to make the national identity card mandatory for accessing public services and entitlements.

A division bench of Justices Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma and Til Prasad Shrestha issued the order, suspending the immediate enforcement of the decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs on June 24 this year.

Advocate Ram Bahadur Raut had filed a writ petition against the government's decision. The ministry had issued a notice requiring the national identity cards for people with disabilities, the elderly, and single women who receive social security allowances starting from mid-July. -- RSS