THE SUPREME COURT TODAY directed that the Aadhaar card must be treated as the twelfth document for establishing identity for inclusion in the Special Intensive Revision (‘SIR’) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, however, clarified that Aadhaar shall not be treated as proof of citizenship. “Authorities shall be entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of the Aadhaar card itself,” the bench said, while asking the Election Commission of India (‘ECI’) to issue instructions to its officials for the acceptance of Aadhaar as identity proof.
The Court noted that while the Aadhaar Act makes it clear that the card is not proof of citizenship, under the Representation of People’s Act it is recognised as one of the documents to establish identity. It recorded the poll panel’s undertaking that Aadhaar will henceforth be accepted for this purpose.
The order came on pleas by RJD and others, who alleged that ground-level officials were refusing to accept Aadhaar as a stand-alone document despite three earlier court directions.
