Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission (EC) to include Aadhaar as the 12th valid identity document for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The bench clarified, however, that Aadhaar can serve only as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship.
Aadhaar for Identity, Not Citizenship
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stressed that while Aadhaar numbers can verify voter identity, they do not establish citizenship. The EC must ensure due diligence in verifying Aadhaar submissions to prevent illegal immigrants from being added to voter rolls. “Nobody wants the EC to include illegal immigrants in the electoral roll. Only genuine citizens can vote,” the court observed.
EC’s Position and Court’s Directions
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the EC, argued that Aadhaar’s inclusion adds little practical value, as 99.6% of Bihar’s 7.24 crore voters have already provided valid documents. The Court, however, asked the EC to issue formal directions for Aadhaar acceptance and to explain notices served to officials who had earlier refused Aadhaar as proof.
Deadlines and Voter Participation
The SC also addressed confusion over Bihar’s SIR process, terming it a “trust issue.” It directed the state legal services authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to assist voters in filing claims and objections. According to the EC’s schedule, the claims and objections window closed on September 1, with the final electoral roll due on September 30. Between August 22 and 30, officials received 22,723 claims for inclusion and 1,34,738 objections for exclusion.
