The Supreme Court of India has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider Aadhaar cards, Voter IDs, and Ration Cards as valid documents for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The court's order came during a hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the ECI's decision to conduct the SIR in the poll-bound state.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi acknowledged the ECI's authority to conduct the revision as a constitutional mandate but raised concerns about the timing of the exercise, so close to the upcoming elections. The court questioned why the SIR was being specifically conducted in Bihar months before the election, and not nationwide.

The petitioners had challenged the ECI's June 24 directive, arguing that the exclusion of documents like Aadhaar cards and ration cards would disproportionately affect marginalized communities and the poor, making them vulnerable to exclusion from the voter list. The ECI, however, argued that Aadhaar is not a valid proof of citizenship, and that the revision exercise was necessary to remove ineligible voters and maintain the integrity of the electoral rolls. The ECI also stated that the last intensive revision of voters' list in Bihar was conducted in 2003.

The court, however, emphasized that the ECI's enumeration exercise is primarily about verifying the identity of individuals as citizens and residents of Bihar, and their entitlement to vote. Justice Dhulia stated, "...the entire exercise is primarily about identity only. We feel Aadhaar should have been there (on the list of approved government-issued IDs)". The court also pointed out that the 11 documents initially listed by the ECI were not definitive proofs of citizenship, but rather served to establish identity.

While allowing the SIR to continue, the Supreme Court directed the ECI to consider including Aadhaar, EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity Card), and ration cards as valid documents for voter registration. The court clarified that the decision to accept these documents rests with the ECI, but if the commission chooses not to include them, it must provide justifiable reasons.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing on the matter for July 28, and has asked the ECI to file its counter-affidavit within a week. The court also directed the petitioners to file their rejoinder affidavit, if any, before July 28. The draft revised electoral rolls are expected to be published in August.

The ECI has already filled up 60% or 5.5 crore enumerations and a half of this uploaded on ECI Net. The Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number is already pre-printed on the enumeration forms. Existing electors, including those who have temporarily migrated, can download a pre-filled Enumeration Form from the ECI website and submit it to their respective Booth Level Officer (BLO) before July 25 to ensure their names are included in the draft Electoral Rolls.