On 8 September 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept Aadhaar card as the 12th valid identity document for inclusion in the revised voters list of Bihar under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The Court clarified that Aadhaar is only a proof of identity, not citizenship. ECI officials must verify the authenticity of Aadhaar but cannot reject it as an identity document.
This ruling came after complaints that ECI staff were refusing to accept Aadhaar despite earlier Supreme Court directions. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing RJD, argued that Aadhaar is the most widely available ID and its rejection would exclude poor voters.
The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi confirmed that Aadhaar must be treated as an additional document, along with the 11 already listed. ECI assured the Court that it would issue instructions immediately to all ground-level officers.
Key Developments Before the Order
- July 10: Court first told ECI to consider Aadhaar along with ration card and voter ID.
- July 28: Court allowed draft rolls but asked ECI to avoid mass exclusion.
- July 29: Reports showed about 65 lakh names likely to be excluded.
- August 14: Court asked ECI to publish names of excluded voters online with reasons.
- August 22: Court allowed excluded voters to reapply with Aadhaar or other documents.
- September 1: Court said claims can still be filed before nomination deadlines.
With this latest order, Aadhaar is officially confirmed as a stand-alone identity document for voter list inclusion in Bihar SIR.