The Supreme Court of India has recently reiterated that the Aadhaar card is not a conclusive proof of citizenship. This pronouncement came during a hearing regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has maintained that Aadhaar cannot be accepted as the sole proof of citizenship, a stance that the Supreme Court has now supported.

The Supreme Court's observation was made by a bench led by Justice Surya Kant, who emphasized that Aadhaar details must be independently verified. The court was hearing petitions challenging the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The core issue was whether the Election Commission was correct in excluding Aadhaar as a primary document for proof of citizenship during the revision process.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, argued that Aadhaar cannot be used as proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court bench agreed with the ECI's decision to not accept Aadhaar and voter cards as conclusive proof of citizenship in the ongoing exercise and said it has to be supported by other documents.

This issue arose in the context of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, where the ECI had issued a list of eleven documents that could be used to prove citizenship. These included documents like birth certificates, passports, and educational certificates. Aadhaar, PAN card, and driving licenses were excluded from this list, which prompted questions from petitioners.

The Supreme Court also addressed concerns about potential disenfranchisement due to the revision process. The Election Commission claimed that a significant majority of the voting population in Bihar, approximately 6.5 crore out of 7.9 crore, did not need to file any additional documents because they or their parents were already listed in the 2003 electoral roll. The court noted that the high response rate to the SIR undermined the theory that a large number of voters would be disenfranchised.

The Supreme Court's stance aligns with Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, which explicitly states that an Aadhaar number does not confer citizenship. While Aadhaar remains a valid document for establishing identity and residence for residents of India, it is not a document that proves citizenship. The Supreme Court has clarified that for purposes where age verification is crucial, such as legal or official matters, other documents like a school leaving certificate or birth certificate should be relied upon.