SC Allows Bihar Electoral Roll Drive to Continue, Suggests Aadhaar and Voter ID as Valid Proof

 The Supreme Court has refused to stay the publication of Bihar’s draft electoral roll under the state’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, allowing the process to proceed while urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider Aadhaar and Voter ID cards as acceptable documents for verifying voter identity.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stated that its earlier direction, issued on July 10, remains applicable. That order advised the ECI to treat Aadhaar and EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) as valid identity proofs unless there is credible evidence of forgery. The Court emphasized that the revision process must not result in mass exclusion of voters and must ensure procedural fairness on a case-by-case basis.

The Court has scheduled the final hearing on petitions challenging the SIR for July 29, with the draft voter list expected to be released on August 1. Petitioners have argued that the exercise risks disenfranchising a significant number of voters, particularly from marginalized communities.

The ECI, in its affidavit dated July 21, rejected the Court’s earlier suggestion, asserting that Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards do not sufficiently establish Indian citizenship and are vulnerable to misuse. The Commission maintained that removal from the electoral roll does not strip an individual of citizenship, but ensures the accuracy of voter data.

In response, civil society group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) strongly criticized the ECI’s position, calling the exclusion of commonly held identity cards “absurd” and alleging that the revision process is a “fraud on the electorate.” ADR argued that shifting the burden of proving citizenship to long-registered voters is contrary to democratic principles.

According to EC data, about 65 lakh names—around 8% of Bihar’s electorate—may be removed from the rolls due to reasons such as death, relocation, duplication, or being untraceable. While the Commission defends the drive as necessary to clean voter data, opposition parties and rights groups fear large-scale voter suppression ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections later this year.