The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to continue with its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar calling it a “constitutional mandate”.
The SC asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration card as acceptable documents in its SIR in its electoral rolls undertaken ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar.
While refusing to stay the Bihar voter list revision, a partial working days of the top court bench, headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagch asked the EC to complete the process.
“In our prima facie view, since the list is not exhaustive, in our opinion, it will be in the interest of justice, the ECI will also consider the Aadhaar card, Electoral Photo Identity Card issued by the Election Commission and the ration card,” the bench said.
The apex court passed the direction after hearing a batch of petitions challenging the decision of the ECI to undertake the SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
While asking the ECI to file the counter-affidavit by July 21, the top court fixed the batch of petitions for further hearing on July 28, 2025.
The apex court also clarified that it was not a direction to the ECI to include anyone’s name in the roll solely on the basis of these documents – Aadhaar, Voter ID, Ration Card – and it has the discretion to accept or reject them.
The court noted the submissions of the ECI that the list was not exhaustive. “If you have good reason to discard Aadhar you do it, give reasons,” it added.
During the course of the hearing on Thursday, the ECI argued that the list of eleven documents specified by it in its June 24 order as acceptable documents to show citizenship was not exhaustive and was illustrative.
