EC can't reject Aadhaar, voter ID, ration card in SIR, claims Congress

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi, lead counsel for a group of Opposition parties challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, said on Saturday that the Supreme Court's interim order clearly directs the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards as valid documents during the ongoing verification process.

He said this means the EC cannot reject these documents outright until the next hearing in the matter, expected in two weeks. Singhvi also rejected the narrative that the apex court had refused to stay the SIR, saying the petitioners never sought a stay in the first place.

Addressing a press conference, Singhvi said: "What is this SC order? I'm here to clarify and stop misinformation. The court has given the earliest possible date for hearing-about two weeks away-because the process is ongoing. It directs the EC to 'consider' three documents: Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards. So the EC cannot reject them outright. It cannot insist on only one type of proof, as its press note suggests. That's why we didn't press for an interim stay."

He also said the EC has no locus standi to turn the SIR into a citizenship verification exercise, as such matters fall under the jurisdiction of citizenship tribunals and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Singhvi pointed out that the Representation of the People Act was amended years ago to include Aadhaar, and questioned why the EC was now treating it as inadmissible. He also noted that Bihar has held 10 elections-five Assembly and five Lok Sabha-since the last intensive roll revision in 2003. "What is the justification for insisting on the SIR just months ahead of the next state election?" he asked.