Supreme Court Tells EC to Accept Aadhaar as Proof in Bihar Voter List Revision

The Supreme Court said that voters in Bihar who find their names missing from the electoral roll ahead of this year’s Assembly elections can use Aadhaar as proof of residence On Friday (August 22). The court directed the Election Commission to add Aadhaar to the list of valid identity documents.

While hearing petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, the bench said applications for re-inclusion may be filed with any of the 11 approved documents, including Aadhaar.

“Let them submit their application forms, whether with Aadhaar card or matriculation certificates,” Justice Kant told the media.

Political Parties Failing in Their Duties

The court strongly criticized Bihar’s political parties, questioning why those who opposed the voter list revision—alleging it aimed to disenfranchise their traditional supporters—had not assisted the more than 65 lakh voters removed from the rolls. “Political parties are not doing their jobs,” the court remarked, noting that while objections came from individual MPs and MLAs, no party had formally raised the issue.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and JoymalyaBagchi directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar to make political parties part of the court proceedings.

“All political parties must file a status report by the next hearing on the claim forms they have helped excluded voters submit,” the bench said, posting the matter for September 8, as per report.

The court further instructed election officials to provide acknowledgement receipts to booth-level party agents who physically submit claim forms on behalf of excluded voters.

EC Requests 15-Day Extension

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, requested the court to grant the ECI a 15-day window to demonstrate that no voters had been excluded.

“The political parties are creating unnecessary noise. The situation is not as bad as claimed. Have faith in us and allow some more time—we will prove there are no exclusions,” Dwivedi submitted.

The Election Commission (EC) told the Supreme Court that nearly 85,000 excluded voters have already submitted claim forms, while more than 2 lakh new voters have applied for inclusion in the electoral rolls under Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Behind the Battle

On August 14, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission (EC) to publish by August 19 the details of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls, stressing that greater “transparency” in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was necessary. The court also allowed Aadhaar to be used as valid identity proof for re-inclusion.

The bench observed that the EC must counter the “narrative being built” against it and ensure the published details clearly mention the reasons for exclusion. “Transparency will create voter confidence,” it noted.

This marks the first revision of Bihar’s voter list since 2003. However, the SIR exercise has already triggered a major political storm, as it reduced the state’s total number of registered voters from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore.

Also Read: Supreme Court Halts Uriamghat Evictions, Grants Interim Relief