Aadhaar can be used in SIR, EC tells states

THe Election charge of bharat (ECI) on midweek told tell Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) that Aadhaar testament be accepted as one of the documents to be furnished by electors in any future special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls nationwide, officials said, in line with the Supreme Court’s instructions earlier this month.But, election officials added that ECI underlined that Aadhaar will be accepted as the 12th document -- the poll watchdog earlier issued a list of 11 documents to be accepted for enrolment in Bihar -- as an identity document and not as proof of citizenship. This means that officials will accept Aadhaar but further documents might be asked for wherever there is “reasonable doubt” about the applicant’s citizenship, the officials said on anonymity.This is in line with how Aadhaar is being accepted in Bihar now as part of the SIR, after the top court’s decision to allow Aadhaar. “The SIR’s main motive is that no one who is not an Indian citizen, 18 years or above, and registered at multiple places should be a voter,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar was quoted as saying to CEOs. He further emphasised that the top court order also allows the Commission to conduct a proper inquiry as Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship.On September 8, the Supreme Court directed that Aadhaar be added to the list of 11 existing documents that can be used to establish identity for voter roll verification. The court simultaneously recorded that “Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship” and said that ECI and its field officials can conduct enquiries if doubts arise about a person’s citizenship status. Bihar is the first state where SIR is being conducted this year, ahead of its assembly elections.Kumar told the meeting on Wednesday that the apex court’s directive would be followed “in letter and spirit” across all states, officials cited above said.According to three officials present, Kumar emphasised that Aadhaar could not be treated as citizenship proof, but added that the top court’s order would be followed and that the court had anyway said that Aadhaar did not prove citizenship.The matter was extensively discussed during a high-level conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all states and Union Territories, held in New Delhi on Wednesday at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM). Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, presided over the session.At least two states raised the issue of recognising additional documents for their regions. Assam and Sikkim argued that tea-tribe communities, also known as tea garden or tea plantation workers, often cannot produce birth certificates, land records or passports that are typically required for establishing identity or citizenship. These communities are descendants of people brought to Assam and the Northeast under the Tea Districts Emigrant Labour Act of 1932, known as the Tea Act, during the colonial period. While they have resided in India for generations, officials said many families still lack documentary proof recognised under current rules.State representatives told ECI that tea tribe families often possess residency certificates issued by local administrations covering three generations, which in their view “establish without much doubt that they are citizens of India.” Both Assam and Sikkim have asked that such records be added to the admissible list. The commission has sought detailed proposals from these states, instructing that any suggested documents must “clearly establish the citizenship of the person.”The Bihar CEO, in a presentation, flagged that one of the biggest challenges during SIR was determining whether a voter was registered in more than one constituency and whether that person had voted elsewhere. ECI told CEOs that all previous electoral rolls, including those from past SIR exercises, should be uploaded on state election websites so that duplication can be checked systematically. Officials said Bihar’s exercise relied only on its own rolls, which made cross-verification difficult.SIR has become a major political flashpoint ahead of the Bihar assembly elections scheduled for later this year. Opposition parties have staged protests in Parliament and alleged that ECI was acting at the behest of the BJP. The government has dismissed the protests and said that infiltrators cannot have the right to vote.ECI might roll out a nationwide special intensive revision of electoral rolls before the end of the year but has not decided yet if the exercise will be conducted simultaneously or in a staggered manner, HT reported on Wednesday. Officials said ECI is likely to wait for a conclusive court direction before moving forward with a definitive timeline. At least five officials who attended the meeting confirmed to HT that the SIR might be announced before the year ends.