Logo
feature knowledge box

SC directs ECI to accept Aadhaar as 12th document for Bihar voter roll revision

Published By : admin | September 8, 2025 4:30 PM
SC directs ECI to accept Aadhaar as 12th document for Bihar voter roll revision

​​​​​​​New Delhi, September 8: The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the Election Commission (EC) to recognize Aadhaar as the 12th valid document for establishing voter identity in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which heads for polls later this year.

Currently, 11 documents are prescribed for the SIR process. With the court’s directive, Aadhaar will now be accepted, though the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi clarified that it cannot be treated as proof of citizenship. The EC has also been permitted to verify the authenticity of Aadhaar numbers submitted.

Emphasizing the need to prevent illegal entries, the court said only genuine citizens must be allowed on the rolls, excluding those relying on forged papers. It directed the EC to issue necessary instructions within the day to enable acceptance of Aadhaar cards.

The bench also sought the EC’s explanation on show-cause notices served to officials who had rejected Aadhaar submissions from voters.

Appearing for the poll panel, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi informed the court that 99.6% of Bihar’s 7.24 crore draft roll electors had already submitted required documents, and adding Aadhaar at this stage may not have much practical impact.

Referring to provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, and the Representation of the People Act, the bench reiterated that Aadhaar is only an identity proof, not proof of citizenship.

Earlier, on September 1, the court had been told that claims, corrections, and objections relating to Bihar’s draft electoral roll could still be submitted beyond the initial deadline but would only be considered after the roll is finalized. The bench described the confusion around the process as “largely a trust issue” and asked the State Legal Services Authority to provide paralegal volunteers to assist voters and political parties in filing objections.

As per the EC’s June 24 schedule, the deadline for claims and objections ended on September 1. The final electoral roll is due for publication on September 30.