The Supreme Court on September 8 directed that Aadhaar cards must be treated as the 12th Document for identity verification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar, addressing ongoing electoral updates.
The bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi clarified that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, a stance aligning with the Election Commission of India (ECI) but sparking debate. The court instructed the ECI to issue guidelines to officials, ensuring Aadhaar’s inclusion as a standalone proof of identity, alongside the existing 11 identity documents. This ruling follows concerns over voter list accuracy during Bihar’s SIR, launched on June 24, with over 92% participation reported.
#BREAKING Supreme Court directs that Aadhaar card must be treated as the "12th Document" for the purpose of identity to include voters in the Bihar SIR exercise.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) September 8, 2025
SC also clarifies Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship.
SC asks ECI to issue instructions about Aadhaar to its…
The Court further clarified that the ECI officials will be entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of Aadhaar cards produced by the voters. The Apex court was hearing the petitions by RJD and other parties that ECI officials were not accepting the Aadhaar card as a stand-alone document for inclusion in the electoral roll
