SC Orders EC to Accept Aadhaar for Bihar Voter ID, Stresses Verification, Not Citizenship Proof

The Supreme Court of India on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept Aadhaar cards as the twelfth document for voter identification in Bihar, amid the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, clarified that while Aadhaar can be used to establish identity, it will not be treated as proof of citizenship.

According to Live law, the court’s order comes after concerns that the Election Commission was not consistently accepting Aadhaar as identity proof, despite previous directives. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), argued that failure to do so amounted to contempt of Supreme Court orders, citing instances where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had issued show-cause notices for accepting Aadhaar cards.

The Supreme Court emphasized that authorities are entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of Aadhaar cards. Justice Kant noted, “Those who are genuine citizens of this country are entitled to vote. Those claiming citizenship on forged documents are not.” Justice Bagchi added that apart from passports and birth certificates, most of the other documents allowed by ECI do not serve as proof of citizenship, and Aadhaar is now to be included in the list.

The final electoral roll for Bihar is scheduled for publication on September 30, 2025. The inclusion of Aadhaar as a valid identification document aims to facilitate voter registration and ensure genuine citizens are enrolled while preventing fraudulent entries.