New Delhi, Sept 8 (HS): The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept Aadhaar as the 12th valid document for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar. The order came from a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant.

During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that clarity was needed on whether Aadhaar should be recognized in the revision process. Justice Surya Kant observed that Sibal’s plea seemed aimed at treating Aadhaar as proof of citizenship, to which Sibal clarified that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not tasked with determining citizenship. Instead, he emphasized that Aadhaar should be accepted as proof of identity for SIR so that eligible voters are not denied their right to vote. He further pointed out that despite three prior court orders recognizing Aadhaar as the 12th document, BLOs were still refusing to accept it.

The Election Commission stated that no instructions had been issued to BLOs in this regard. The bench then directed the Commission to issue explicit instructions clarifying that Aadhaar is a valid document for the revision. The court, while noting that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship under the Aadhaar Act, established that Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act recognizes it as an identity document. The Commission’s assurance to accept Aadhaar was duly recorded by the court.

Earlier, on September 8, the Supreme Court had instructed that para-legal volunteers assist voters in filing claims and objections concerning draft electoral rolls. The ECI had informed the court that claims and objections can be filed at any time, without a fixed deadline.

On August 22, the Supreme Court had also ruled that voters in Bihar whose names were omitted from the electoral rolls after SIR could apply online and need not submit physical forms. Justice Surya Kant’s bench had made it clear that voter applications can be filed using any one of the 11 documents prescribed by the ECI—or even Aadhaar alone.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar