Aadhaar as Voter Identity

16 Sep 2025 GS 2 Polity

Click to view full image

The Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Central issue: Whether Aadhaar can be accepted as proof for voter verification and inclusion/exclusion from rolls.

Aadhaar as Statutory Proof
- A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi observed that Aadhaar is part of the statute under Section 23(4), Representation of the People Act, 1950.
- This section allows Aadhaar to be used for authentication of voter entries in rolls.
12th Document
- Court reaffirmed its earlier order (Aug 8, 2025) declaring Aadhaar as the 12th valid document voters can use, in addition to the 11 already notified by EC.
Nature of Aadhaar
- Petitioner argued: Aadhaar is not proof of age, citizenship, residence, or domicile—anyone (including non-citizens) can obtain it.
- Court’s query: If Aadhaar is not proof of these, what is it then? Petitioner replied it is a “simple proof of identity.”
Counterpoint
- Court questioned whether documents like land records (already listed) could be considered more valid than Aadhaar.
- Justices stressed EC has the statutory power to differentiate between citizens and infiltrators.

Representation of the People Act, 1950: Governs preparation of electoral rolls.
Section 23(4): Explicitly allows linking Aadhaar with voter rolls for authentication.
SC Position : Aadhaar is a legitimate document under the law, but cannot override eligibility criteria (citizenship, residence, age).

Electoral Integrity vs Identity Proof: Balancing ease of verification with safeguarding against non-citizens entering rolls.
Citizenship Question: Aadhaar’s limitation (not proof of citizenship) creates tension with voter eligibility requirements.
Judicial Oversight: SC’s decision will affect how EC conducts future nationwide voter roll revisions.