Exclusion of Aadhaar, ration cards in SIR ‘patently absurd’: NGO to Supreme Court

The NGO Association for Democratic Reforms has told the Supreme Court that the exclusion of Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls is "patently absurd" and that the Election Commission has given no valid reason for its decision.

In a rejoinder filed in the top court, the NGO said that the Aadhaar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining a Permanent Residence Certificate, any OBC/SC/ST Certificate and passports.

This makes "ECI's rejection of Aadhaar (which is the most widely held document) under the instant SIR order patently absurd", the NGO said.

It said that the EC has given no valid reason to exclude Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents.

The NGO has contended that electoral registration officers are vested with broad and unchecked discretion that could result in disenfranchisement of a significant segment of Bihar's population.

"The petition submits that the SIR order dated 24 June 2025, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of citizens from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution," the NGO said.

The Election Commission had justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by "weeding out ineligible persons" from the electoral rolls.

The top court, hearing a slew of petitions against SIR in Bihar, had on July 10 had asked the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards as valid documents during its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, set to go to polls later this year.