The Election Commission of India has issued a strong clarification ahead of the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted across 12 states and union territories. Emphasising the limited purpose of the Aadhaar card in the electoral process, the Commission stated that Aadhaar can be used only as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship. This distinction, the ECI noted, is crucial because voting rights in India depend strictly on citizenship, not merely on identity.
Reinforcing this position, the ECI pointed out that the Supreme Court also holds the view that Aadhaar is not a document that establishes citizenship. The Court has previously observed that while the ECI has full authority to include eligible citizens and exclude non-citizens from voter lists, Aadhaar cannot be treated as conclusive evidence for determining who qualifies as a citizen.
In line with this, the ECI clarified that Aadhaar cannot be used as the deciding factor for adding a name to the electoral roll or removing an existing one. It is simply one of the documents that can verify identity during the revision process, but its role does not extend to establishing eligibility to vote.
These statements come at a time when electoral rolls are undergoing an intensive verification exercise under SIR Phase II, and the Commission aims to remove confusion regarding the use of Aadhaar in the process.
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