The Supreme Court has mandated the acceptance of Aadhaar cards as the 12th form of identification for voter inclusion in the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative. While acknowledging the card’s use for documentation, the court has clarified that authorities can verify the authenticity of the Aadhaar card. The Supreme Court emphasized that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship.
Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, presiding over the case, noted that the Aadhaar Act does not consider the card as proof of citizenship, although it serves as a valid identification document under the Representation of the People’s Act.
The Election Commission of India has been directed to issue instructions to its officials regarding the acceptance of Aadhaar cards. This decision came in response to petitions from RJD and others who claimed that ECI officials were not accepting the Aadhaar card as a standalone document for electoral roll inclusion. Earlier, on August 22, the Supreme Court allowed individuals excluded from the draft electoral roll in Bihar’s SIR process to submit Aadhaar cards along with necessary forms to contest their exclusion. The court stated that objections could be submitted using the 11 documents listed by the ECI or the Aadhaar card, facilitating voter inclusion.