The Supreme Court on Monday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider allowing Aadhaar and Voter ID (EPIC card) as valid identification documents for the Survey for Intensive Revision (SIR) process, amid ongoing concerns over discrepancies in Bihar’s draft voter list ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made the suggestion during a hearing on multiple petitions that challenged the procedural integrity of the SIR, citing alleged irregularities and violations of voters' privacy.
Despite repeated requests by petitioners to halt the SIR process, the top court declined to intervene at this stage. The Bench noted that the draft electoral roll is in its concluding phase, and any decision on its legality or impact can only be taken once the process is completed. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 29.
Several petitioners alleged that personal data of voters, including sensitive details, were uploaded without their consent. In some cases, they claimed, names of deceased individuals appeared on official enumeration forms. These lapses, the petitioners argued, not only compromised data security but also cast doubt on the accuracy of the voter list.
Responding to the allegations, the Election Commission stated that over 7.24 crore of Bihar’s 7.89 crore eligible voters — a staggering 92% — participated in the SIR exercise. In a statement issued on July 27, the EC clarified that around 35 lakh voters marked as missing were either deceased, had migrated to other states or union territories, or had failed to submit required forms.
The Commission added that the final status of these voters would be determined following a comprehensive review by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). This verification process is expected to be completed by August 1.
With the Bihar assembly elections on the horizon, the accuracy and transparency of the voter list revision process will be under close scrutiny. The Supreme Court’s directive to consider widely-held identity documents like Aadhaar and Voter ID could ease concerns about accessibility and authenticity, especially for those whose names have been flagged or omitted.
As the matter returns to the apex court for further deliberation, all eyes will remain on how the Election Commission addresses the procedural and legal concerns raised by citizens and civil society groups.
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