'Bihar election near, allow 3 common IDs for SIR': SC
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards (EPIC cards) as proof of identity for voters in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi refused to stop the SIR process but repeatedly asked ECI how it could not accept Aadhaar as a way to confirm identification.
Roll finalization
Court agreed with need for purging non-citizens from electoral rolls
"Thus, in our opinion, it would be in the interest of justice if Aadhaar card, EPIC card and Ration card be included. It is for the ECI to still decide whether it wants to take the documents or not." "If it does not take the documents, (it has to) give reasons for the same and the same shall satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay," the court said in its order.
SIR
Bench asks 3 questions
The court also noted that the timeline for SIR is very short since the state assembly elections are scheduled for November this year. Pertinently, the bench proceeded to pose three questions in the matter: "We are prima facie of the opinion that there are three questions: 1. Powers of ECI to conduct the process. 2. The procedure to exercise the powers and 3. The timeline which is very short and due in November and notification will come in advance."
Revision rationale
Last month, EC announced revision of Bihar's electoral rolls
The EC announced the SIR on June 24, aiming to include eligible voters and remove ineligible ones. The commission cited rapid urbanization, migration, and under-reporting of deaths as reasons for the revision. The exercise, however, doesn't consider Aadhaar and ration cards as proof but mandates parents' identity verification, which petitioners argue could disenfranchise millions given Bihar's high rates of migration and dispossession. This decision faced criticism from opposition parties, including Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Citizenship concerns
Petitioners slam exercise as arbitrary, discriminatory
Petitioners have slammed this exercise as arbitrary and discriminatory. Under SIR guidelines, voters not on the 2003 electoral roll must prove citizenship. For those born after December 2004, the regulation requires not only their own documents but also their parents. If a parent is a foreign national, the order seeks their passport and visa at the time of the applicant's birth. The ADR argues these requirements are impractical in Bihar, where birth registration is low and many lack official documents.