On September 8, the Supreme Court directed that Aadhaar be accepted as the 12th valid identity document for Bihar’s electoral roll revision, while the ruling is expected to benefit over 34 lakh voters in Bihar who were excluded. The SC mandated that authorities assess its authenticity and genuineness. The Congress party sharply criticised the EC’s ruling.
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India to accept Aashar as a valid identity proof in the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, adding it to the existing list of 11 approved documents. The Court issued a formal order instructing the EC to treat Aadhaar as the 12th document, mandating its acceptance for inclusion in or exclusion from the Voter rolls in Bihar.
SC clarified that Aadhaar can only serve as proof of identity or residence, but not as proof of Indian Citizenship. Authorities are authorised to verify the authenticity of Aadhaar cards like any other approved document to prevent misuse. The ruling offers relief to approx 34 lakh eligible voters in Bihar who were at risk of exclusion from the final electoral roll due to lacking any of the originally specified documents.
Petitioners highlighted that, despite earlier directives, many Booth level Officers (BLOs) and Election Registration Officials (EROs) were refusing to accept Aadhaar and insisting on other documents. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal emphasised that this refusal violated three prior SC orders and questioned, “If they cannot accept the Aadhaar card, what kind of inclusion exercise are they carrying out?”
The Congress party publicly criticised the Election Commission for its perceived reluctance to implement the Supreme Court’s directive, calling it “non-compliance” and saying the EC should be “named and shamed.”
