Today, On 25th February, The Supreme Court clarified that during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Madhyamik admit cards may serve as supporting identity documents. However, they will be accepted only when accompanied by the relevant pass certificates for verification.
The Supreme Court clarified that during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Madhyamik admit cards can be used as supplementary identity verification documents, but they must be accompanied by pass certificates.
This clarification came from a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, following a mention by Senior Advocate DS Naidu this morning.
Previously, the Court had allowed the use of Madhyamik admit cards for identity verification alongside various forms of identification, including Aadhaar.
Naidu raised concerns about whether these admit cards could serve as standalone identity documents.
Justice Bagchi observed,
“Judges from West Bengal (judicial officers overseeing the SIR) are fully aware of the data available in Madhyamik admit card. That is why we said it will help the Election Commission and anyone verifying the document. Pass certificate does not give date of birth or father’s name,”
Naidu responded,
“But it cannot be the standalone document,”
The bench reiterated that the admit card is only intended to be a supplementary document, not a primary means of verifying identity.
Justice Bagchi stated,
“But Madhyamik pass certificate is one of the documents, we have said that the Madhyamik admit card will supplement it,”
Naidu agreed,
“Yes, not supplant it,”
At this point, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan expressed concern that individuals who did not take or pass the exam might still possess such identity cards.
The Court clarified that Class 10 admit cards must be paired with pass certificates if they are to be utilized for supplementary identity verification during the SIR.
The Court ordered,
“All documents mentioned in para 3(iii) of order dated February 24, 2026, which are not uploaded so far and received before February 15, shall be submitted by the EROs, AEROs to the presiding judicial officers by tomorrow 5 PM. Similarly, para 3(iii)(c) is clarified to the effect that Madhyamik admit cards may be submitted along with pass certificate for the purpose of birth certificate and purposes of (proving) parentage,”
In September 2025, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its authorities to accept Aadhaar cards as proof of identity for inclusion or exclusion in the revised voter list of Bihar.
The Court observed that Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, lists the Aadhaar card among documents acceptable to establish a person’s identity.
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