Aadhaar is part of statute, can be used by voters, says SC, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court affirmed that Aadhaar is part of the right-to-vote statute and can be used by voters as permitted by law.
• This statement was made in response to arguments suggesting Aadhaar is inferior to the 11 documents listed by the Election Commission for voter verification.
• The court had previously declared Aadhaar as the 12th document for claims and objections related to voter list inclusion or exclusion.
• The court issued notice on a plea challenging the use of Aadhaar and scheduled a hearing for October 7 regarding the legality of the special intensive revision (SIR).

Detailed Insights:

• The petitioner argued that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, age, residence, or domicile, and its acceptance without supporting documents dilutes the SIR order's intent.
• Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, permits Election Commission officials to use Aadhaar for authenticating entries on electoral rolls.
• The petitioner advocated for a pan-India SIR to remove "foreign infiltrators" from electoral rolls, alleging the presence of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas in Bihar.
• Senior advocates urged the court to hear petitions on the validity of the SIR exercise itself, noting that the Election Commission is conducting SIRs in other parts of the country.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Aadhaar: A 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India.
• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): An exercise conducted by the Election Commission to revise and update electoral rolls.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950: An act of Parliament that governs the conduct of elections to the Houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of each State.