Aadhar is proof of identity, not citizenship: EC counsel explains SC order on Bihar 'SIR'

New Delhi, Sept 8 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the Election Commission (EC) to accept the Aadhar card as the 12th document in the stipulated list for conducting the voter verification drive in Bihar and also called for its inclusion as a document for identity proof.

Breaking down the Apex Court’s observations on Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the EC counsel Rakesh Dwidevi said that many petitioners argued before the court over the inclusion of Aadhar in the verification drive; however, the SC made it clear that the Aadhar cards will be considered for SIR exercise, but can’t serve as the proof/evidence of citizenship.

The verbal order, issued by the court this morning, by a bench of SC judges Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi, however, overruled his plea that inclusion of petitioners regarding Aadhar be done away with because many days have passed after the publication of draft electoral rolls and over 99.6 per cent electors out of 7.24 crores voters have already submitted their documents.

Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwidevi further explained that the Supreme Court agreed with EC’s argument that it reserves the right to examine the citizenship of residents for maintaining ‘clean and pure’ electoral rolls, and Aadhar in no way can compensate as a document for proving one’s citizenship.

The top court also said that the EC should verify the authenticity and genuineness of Aadhar numbers submitted before it, and also ensure that those with forged or fraudulent entries are not entertained.

The court’s fresh observations on Aadhar inclusion in the SIR drive come on the back of a clutch of petitions filed in the top court, challenging the Election Commission's SIR drive/verification drive in Bihar, months ahead of the state elections.

Notably, the Aadhaar card was not among the 11 documents enumerated by the poll panel in conducting the voter verification drive in the poll-bound state. Several petitioners had objected to the exclusion of Aadhaar, the most commonly used government ID, from the list of 11 documents.

--IANS

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