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The Election Commission told the Supreme Court that Voter ID, Aadhaar and ration cards cannot be solely used to join Bihar’s fresh electoral roll, as the new list requires complete verification from scratch.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has clearly told the Supreme Court that some common ID cards like Voter ID (EPIC), Aadhaar, and ration cards cannot be accepted by themselves to get a person added to the new electoral list being made in Bihar. This new list is part of a fresh check called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which is like making the voter list from scratch again.
The ECI gave these reasons in a detailed written reply, called a counter affidavit, on July 21. The matter will come up again in court on July 28.
Why Voter ID (EPIC) is not enough
The ECI said that the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is not a proof of eligibility during the SIR. This is because the EPIC is created from an older voter list but that list is now being changed, reports Live Law.
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So, if officials rely on EPIC to decide who can vote, it will go against the point of the fresh check. The Commission wants to make sure every person added is newly verified. Using old information would defeat the whole purpose of this revision.
The Commission explained it simply:
“The EPIC is just a copy of old data. It cannot be used to build a brand-new list.”
Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship
The ECI also said that Aadhaar cannot be treated as proof of citizenship. It is only proof of identity.
This is because Indian law clearly says that having an Aadhaar number does not mean someone is a citizen. The Commission referred to Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, which says exactly this.
However, Aadhaar can still help in checking documents. It can be shown along with other papers to prove identity. The Commission said the list of documents in the forms is 'indicative and not final', the Live Law report added. So officers can consider other documents too, if needed.
Ration cards not on the main list
Many people use ration cards as ID, but the Commission explained that they were left out of the main list of accepted documents because of widespread fraud.
In fact, the central government recently said it had cancelled five crore fake ration cards. Because of this, ration cards are not in the official list for the Bihar revision.
Still, this doesn't mean ration cards are banned. If someone gives it, the local officer (called ERO or AERO) can look at it and decide whether to accept it.
The Commission made it clear that all documents, even ration cards, will be checked carefully, one by one, as per the rules.
What the Supreme Court said
This case came up because some people challenged the Election Commission’s order dated June 24, 2025, that started the voter list revision in Bihar.
During a hearing on July 17, the Supreme Court said that deciding who is a citizen is the job of the Union Government, not the Election Commission.
The Court also told the Commission to think about using Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards in the process.
But the ECI’s legal team, including lawyers Eklavya Dwivedi, Sidhant Kumar, Prateek Kumar and Kumar Utsav, told the court that these documents can be checked but not trusted blindly.
Next hearing in Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear this matter again on July 28. Until then, the Commission is continuing with its plan to check voter details from the ground up in Bihar.
People can still use many documents to prove they can vote. But each one will be reviewed carefully to make sure no fake entries are made.
This new voter list process in Bihar is not just a routine update. It's a full check of who should be on the list. The Election Commission wants to make sure that every name is correct and every voter is verified freshly. That is why older documents like Voter ID, Aadhaar or ration cards cannot be the only proof. This helps build a cleaner, more trustworthy voter list.