The Supreme Court of India will take up a bunch of petitions on Monday challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) plan for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar, a state gearing up for elections. This hearing comes amid debates over how to update electoral rolls and verify voter details.
According to the court’s schedule, Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi will hear the case on September 15. In their last ruling, the bench made it clear that Aadhaar cards can’t prove citizenship but can still help with voter ID checks. “Aadhaar isn’t a citizenship document under the 2016 Aadhaar Act, so we won’t accept it for that,” the court said simply.
That said, the judges pointed out that under Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, Aadhaar works fine as proof of identity. They ordered the ECI to accept Aadhaar cards for adding or removing names from Bihar’s voter lists. On September 8, the court directed: “Treat Aadhaar as the 12th valid document, just like others, and verify it the same way.”
The Supreme Court also told the ECI to roll out clear guidelines on using Aadhaar for voter ID by September 9. This step aims to make the revision process smoother while sticking to the rules.
In a fresh affidavit, ECI Secretary Pawan Diwan told the court that deciding on summary or intensive revisions—like this SIR for Bihar’s electoral rolls—falls entirely under the Commission’s control. Quoting Rule 25 of the Registration of Electors Rules, the affidavit stressed: “The ECI has full discretion here, with no outside interference.”
This ongoing case highlights key issues around Aadhaar in elections, voter list updates, and Bihar’s poll preparations. Stay tuned as the hearing unfolds, which could shape how India handles voter verification nationwide.
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