ECI Updates Bihar Voter List Rules After Supreme Court Order on Aadhaar Card
In a quick move following the Supreme Court’s latest directive, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out new guidelines for Bihar’s electoral roll revision. This comes just a day after the top court cleared the way for using Aadhaar cards as proof of identity in the voter verification process. The update aims to make things smoother for Bihar residents updating their voter IDs.
The ECI sent clear instructions to Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday. They specified that the Aadhaar Card now counts as the 12th document, alongside the 11 already listed in Annexure C and D of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) order from June 24. Importantly, the ECI stressed that Aadhaar serves only as proof of identity—not citizenship—as per Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
This change stems from Monday’s Supreme Court hearing on a petition by the Association for Democratic Reforms against the ECI. The court ordered the ECI to accept Aadhaar cards for adding or removing names from Bihar’s revised voter list. Justices made it clear: authorities must treat Aadhaar as the 12th valid document for identity checks, but they can still verify its authenticity by asking for extra proof if needed. The court even set a deadline, telling the ECI to issue instructions by Tuesday—which they did promptly.
The ECI also pointed out that under Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, Aadhaar already qualifies as an identity document. To ensure everyone follows through, the Commission directed the CEO to inform all District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and other officials. They warned that any refusal to accept Aadhaar as per these rules will face serious action.
This development could simplify the Bihar voter ID verification drive, especially for the millions relying on Aadhaar for everyday services. As Bihar gears up for its electoral roll updates, these ECI instructions on Aadhaar Card usage should help avoid confusion and boost participation. Keep an eye on official ECI updates for more on Bihar electoral roll revision and Supreme Court Aadhaar rulings.
