SIR
Bihar SIR: Voters excluded from draft rolls can re-apply with Aadhaar card, rules Supreme Court
New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept Aadhaar card as a document for voters excluded from draft rolls in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, media reports said.
A top court bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the voters, whose names are missing from the draft rolls, can now re-apply for inclusion via online using Aadhaar card.
"Let them submit their application forms, be it with Aadhaar card or matriculation certificates," Justice Kant said as quoted by Live Law.
The court criticised the political parties in Bihar questioning them as to why they didn't assist 65 lakh deleted voters despite claiming the revision was an attempt to "disenfranchise" communities that vote for them traditionally.
"Political parties are not doing their jobs...," the court said as quoted by NDTV and added, "What are your BLAs (booth-level agents) doing? Political parties must help voters."
In July, the ECI had filed an affidavit opposing the inclusion of Aadhaar cards, Voter ID and Ration cards in the list of documents eligible for the poll body's voter list revision drive.
The EC said the three IDs can't be relied upon as Aadhaar is merely an identity proof, a number of fake Ration Cards are available in the country and considering the existing voter card will make the initiative meaningless.
The ECI has, however, said one's citizenship won't be terminated on the basis of one's name not featuring in the electoral rolls.
The poll body said it did not violate any law or infringe the fundamental rights of citizens by conducting the exercise.
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