BLOW TO EC, SC ORDERS TO ACCEPT AADHAR CARD AS 12TH DOCUMENT IN BIHAR

BLOW TO EC, SC ORDERS TO ACCEPT AADHAR CARD AS 12^TH DOCUMENT IN BIHAR

9-SEP-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

DELHI--------------------------The court clarified that the Election Commission will have to accept Aadhaar card as the 12th document. However, it will not be proof of citizenship, but will be counted in the category of documents related to identity and residence. The court also directed that the Election Commission should make the information of this order public on its official website.*

The Supreme Court on Monday gave a big order in the case related to SIR (Special Summary Revision) in Bihar. The court clarified that the Election Commission will have to accept Aadhaar card as the 12th document. However, it will not be proof of citizenship, but will be counted in the category of documents related to identity and residence. The court also directed that the Election Commission should make the information of this order public on its official website.

During the hearing, Election Commission lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi said that Aadhaar is proof of identity but not of citizenship. At the same time, Kapil Sibal insisted that Aadhaar should be officially accepted as the 12th document. On this, Justice Kant raised the question that if Aadhaar is recognized, then what is the problem in it? The court also said that if there is doubt on any application, then the officers can investigate it.

During the debate, the issue also came up that Aadhaar is often the only document with the poor section. Advocate Grover argued that many people cannot gather 11 other documents, but they definitely have Aadhaar. Justice Kant clarified that real citizens should get the right to vote, while those who claim citizenship on the basis of fake documents should be excluded.

The Supreme Court also said that according to the law, Aadhaar is an official document. The Election Commission will accept it, but will also check its authenticity. The court reiterated that Aadhaar will not be considered proof of citizenship, but it is a valid identity card like ration card and EPIC.

During the hearing, it also came to light that many BLOs (Booth Level Officers) are not accepting Aadhaar and are insisting only on 11 documents. The Supreme Court expressed displeasure over this and said that action can be taken against the officials who do not follow the order.

It is clear from this decision that Aadhaar will now be an additional document for the processes related to the voter list in Bihar. However, it will not be proof of citizenship but only a supporting proof of identity and residence.