'Will Consider Aadhaar,' Says Election Commission as SC Directs Its Inclusion in Bihar SIR Documents
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, September 8, directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to include Aadhaar card as the "12th document" that can be produced as proof of identity for the purpose of inclusion in the revised voter list in Bihar.
"Aadhaar card will also be taken into consideration for the purpose of establishing the identity of a person for the purpose of inclusion/exclusion of a voter in the revised voter list of Bihar," the ECI undertook before Supreme Court, as quoted by LiveLaw.
The order came as a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi were hearing the petition filed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Swaraj Party member and activist Yogendra Yadav, challenging ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar as arbitrary and unconstitutional under Article 32.
On August 1, the ECI had published a draft roll which excluded a total of 65 lakh electors, without releasing the names of the electors. The petitioners in top court had demanded that ECI make this list public, to which the poll body had resisted saying that “no such list can be sought by the petition as a matter of right”.
On August 14, however, the Supreme Court asked the commission to make the list available on its website and in public, along with the reasons for their exclusion. The top court had also asked the poll body to accept Aadhaar from people making claims and objections regarding the draft rolls.
The ADR also sought an extension of the deadline for voters to file statements and objections for the Bihar SIR, which the ECI in court clarified was to be accepted. The initial deadline for filing objections was September 1, 2025.
The Aadhaar card, which, according to the Unique Identification Authority of India’s own website, serves as a "proof of identity and proof of address for residents of India" was excluded from the list of 11 documents that the Election Commission permitted for the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, leaving voters scrambling for documents as they feared mass exclusion.
Aadhaar coverage in Bihar is at 94%. The Wire has previously reported that the EC’s resistance to accepting Aadhaar brought into focus the poll body’s confusion and consequent flip-flop on the identification document.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also clarified in its order today that Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship but of identity and directed the ECI to issue instructions to its officials on the ground regarding the acceptance of Aadhaar card.
It further stated that ECI officials will be entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of Aadhaar cards produced by the voters.
As the election process comes under scrutiny, read The Wire‘s coverage of the Bihar SIR, the opposition’s allegations and more, here.
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