Today, On 15th September, in the Bihar SIR Row ,The Supreme Court observed that not only Aadhaar, but other documents like driving licenses and ration cards can also be forged. The remarks came during a plea challenging Aadhaar as a valid ID.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court upheld its September 8 order requiring the Election Commission of India (ECI) to formally announce that Aadhaar will be accepted as a valid identity proof for adding voters to the revised electoral list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymlaya Bagchi stated that this direction is provisional and the question of Aadhaar’s validity as proof remains open for further deliberation in connection with the SIR.
The Court noted that other documents, such as ration cards and driving licenses, are equally susceptible to forgery, and thus Aadhaar cannot be singled out for exclusion based on that criterion.
This remark came after BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay requested a modification of the ruling, arguing that Aadhaar should not be considered proof of citizenship and should not be equated with the other documents accepted by the ECI.
The bench said,
“Driving licenses can be forged… ration cards can be forged. Several documents can be forged. Aadhaar is to be utilized to the extent law permits,”
Upadhyay further contended that Aadhaar is also issued to foreigners.
He urged,
“Please modify the order dated 8th September. Otherwise it will be disastrous,”
In response, the Court remarked,
“Disaster or absence of disaster would be assessed by the ECI, and assured Upadhyay that his submissions would be heard.”
The Court added,
“We are keeping this issue open. We are not rejecting or accepting.”
During the latest hearing, the Court inquired about the SIR’s current status and opted to await further developments. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan urged the Court to consider the case’s merits regarding the SIR.
He argued,
“The ECI is moving ahead with the other States. Since we had largely addressed the legal aspect, just give us a date today. If it is found that this is a perversion of a constitutional scheme we may press that this may not continue. There is no question of proceeding with other States and establishing fait accompli. An actual date may be given,”
Similar requests were made by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and other counsel for the petitioners. Meanwhile, Advocate Prashant Bhushan claimed that the ECI was not adhering to its own disclosure rules. The Court requested a compilation of the alleged violations but refrained from issuing any directives.
It stated,
“We’ll take up the matter on 7th October. Meanwhile, each of you prepare a brief note of arguments,”
In earlier hearings, the Court had also called on political parties to assist those excluded from the draft electoral roll.
However, it did not issue any orders to extend the deadline for submitting claims beyond September 1, after the ECI assured that even objections submitted post-deadline would be considered before finalizing the electoral roll.
The Court also acknowledged the ECI’s submission that this process would continue until the final date for candidates to submit their nominations for the upcoming State Assembly elections.
Earlier, On August 6, the Court learned that 6.5 million names were removed from the draft electoral roll published on August 1. The ECI assured the Court that no names would be removed without prior notice, an opportunity for a hearing, and a reasoned order from the appropriate authority.
The Election Commission of India (ECI), On 24 June 2025, started a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar before the Assembly elections. Under this process, voters were asked to provide updated documents, but many citizens did not have them.
Opposition parties and several NGOs criticised this move, saying it could deprive a large number of genuine voters of their right to vote. They approached the Supreme Court (SC), calling the ECI’s action arbitrary and against the Constitution.
The Commission, On 1 August 2025, released the draft electoral roll, which showed a total of 7.24 crore registered voters. At the same time, around 65 lakh names were removed from the list.
Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), requested the Supreme Court to order the ECI to make public the full list of voters whose names were dropped, along with the reasons for each deletion. They said that without such transparency, many citizens might lose their right to vote without being given a fair chance to object.
Case Title: ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ORS. Versus ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA, W.P.(C) No. 640/2025 (and connected cases)
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Bihar SIR Row