The Supreme Court urged the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar and voter ID cards as valid identity proofs during Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision. Petitioners, including ADR, raised concerns about the exercise’s legality and potential disenfranchisement, alleging arbitrary practices and violations of constitutional rights. Despite the EC’s claims of high voter participation, reports suggest irregularities and potential fraud in the process.
📌 What Happened?
In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India on Monday urged the Election Commission (EC) to reconsider the linking of Aadhaar with voter IDs, especially in light of data privacy and voter disenfranchisement concerns. The matter is tied to the ongoing draft voter roll publication in Bihar, part of the State Integrated Roll (SIR) system rollout.
Despite the serious concerns raised, the court declined to stay the publication of the draft electoral rolls, a move that keeps the EC’s revised timeline intact — for now.
🧾 Why the Controversy?
The core of the case lies in:
🧍♂️ Potential voter deletion without proper verification
🔐 Concerns over data misuse and privacy violations
❓ Lack of clear legal mandate for Aadhaar-voter ID linking
📉 Previous instances where such linkage led to mass disenfranchisement, especially in vulnerable communities
👨⚖️ What the Supreme Court Said
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, heading the bench, made it clear:
“We are not granting a stay at this stage. But the Election Commission should relook at its mechanism to ensure no voter is left out due to lack of Aadhaar.”
The bench emphasized that linking should remain optional, in line with the Representation of People Act (Amendment) and past SC rulings on Aadhaar’s limited use in public databases.
🗺️ What Is Bihar’s SIR?
The State Integrated Roll (SIR) in Bihar is part of the EC’s pilot program to:
Create streamlined, digital voter rolls
Use Aadhaar for duplication checks
Enhance accuracy of electoral data
However, activists argue that the EC is going beyond its mandate, potentially affecting millions of eligible voters, especially migrant and rural populations.
📅 What’s Next?
✅ Draft roll will be published as scheduled
🧑⚖️ Hearing on the constitutionality of the Aadhaar-voter ID link will continue
📢 Civil society and privacy advocates expected to intensify pushback
⚖️ What You Should Know
Aadhaar is not mandatory for voting in India
The SC has ruled Aadhaar cannot be used to deny services or benefits unless backed by a law
Voter verification drives must ensure no one is excluded unfairly
