SC Allows Aadhaar for Bihar Voter List Revision
Supreme Court directs Election Commission to accept Aadhaar cards from those challenging the deletion of their names, providing major relief to citizens.
- The Supreme Court has allowed Aadhaar as a valid document for challenging voter list deletions in Bihar.
- The ruling is an interim order by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi.
- The court directed the ECI to publish a list of 65 lakh deleted names with reasons.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th Aug: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that citizens whose names have been struck off Bihar’s voter lists can submit their Aadhaar cards to challenge the deletion. This decision by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is a major development in the ongoing Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case and a setback for the Election Commission of India (ECI), which had previously resisted accepting Aadhaar.
The court directed the ECI to make public the list of 65 lakh names struck off the voter list, along with the reasons for their deletion. Justice Kant stated that Aadhaar is a “statutorily recognised document for identity and residence” and its acceptance is a “statutory obligation.”
This ruling comes after petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), argued that excluding Aadhaar from the list of 11 approved documents was putting millions of people, especially from underprivileged sections, at a disadvantage.
The court ordered that the list of deleted voters be publicized widely through newspapers, Doordarshan, and other media to ensure people are aware and can file their claims with a copy of their Aadhaar card. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August 22.
