SIR Row: No Interim Stay On Draft Electoral Roll Publication, SC Directs EC To Accept Aadhaar, Voter ID

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to halt the publication of draft electoral rolls ahead of elections in Bihar, stating it will provide a final decision on petitions challenging the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi announced it will set a timeline for the final hearing on July 29.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing an NGO, urged the court to impose an interim stay on the publication of the draft rolls, arguing that finalisation should be postponed.

However, the bench noted that in its previous order, petitioners had chosen not to seek interim relief, making it difficult to grant such a stay at this stage. The court emphasized that the issue would be comprehensively resolved in the upcoming hearing.

The court also directed the Election Commission to continue accepting Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards as valid documents for the SIR process in Bihar, reinforcing their status as possessing a “presumption of genuineness.”

The bench stated its agreement with earlier Supreme Court rulings and observed that the Election Commission’s affidavit acknowledged that Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards must be accepted for the revision exercise.

While noting that ration cards are more susceptible to forgery, the court affirmed the relative authenticity of Aadhaar and voter ID cards. “As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily, but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have a presumption of genuineness.

You continue accepting these documents,” the bench said.