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SC denies stay on publication of Bihar draft rolls Strap: Asks EC to accept Aadhaar, voter ID | Next hearing today Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 28 The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the publication of draft electoral rolls under the special intensive revision (SIR) schedule in poll-bound Bihar but asked the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar and voter ID as identity proof during the exercise. As per the Election Commission’s SIR order, the draft electoral roll will be published on August 1. Printed and digital copies of each booth’s roll will be provided to all 12 political parties and the draft will also be available on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website for public verification. A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that it would conclusively decide the PILs challenging the exercise and scheduled the next hearing for July 29. The Bench emphasised mass inclusion over exclusion in the electoral roll and asked the poll panel to include Aadhaar and voter ID in the list of acceptable identity documents. Justice Kant said while ration cards could be easily forged, Aadhaar and voter IDs had some sanctity and a presumption of genuineness. He said, “You will include these two documents... Wherever you find forgery, that’s on a case-to-case basis. Any document on Earth can be forged.” The Election Commission, represented by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, clarified that it already accepted Aadhaar but with a supporting document. When senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for an NGO, sought an interim stay on the draft roll publication, the Bench pointed out that the petitioners had not pressed for interim relief earlier and that the court intended to resolve the matter definitively. However, the Bench said, “It does not take away our power. Trust us, as soon as we know anything is wrong, we will quash everything.” The Supreme Court is hearing over 10 petitions, including those filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), opposing the SIR in Bihar. On July 10, the court had asked the Election Commission to consider accepting Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards as proof of identity amid concerns of potential disenfranchisement of nearly three crore voters. Several political leaders have also challenged the SIR, fearing large-scale exclusion.

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