In a big relief to the lakhs of disenfranchised voters in poll-bound Bihar, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept Aadhaar as the ‘12th document’ for voters to establish their proof of identity.
The SC’s order thus paves the way for an individual’s inclusion in the revised voters list ahead of the November assembly elections. The court, though, reiterated that the authorities are entitled to verify the authenticity of the Aadhaar Card, like any of the other 11 enumerated documents. Additionally, the SC declared that Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship and “therefore shall not be accepted as proof of citizenship.”
Why Aadhaar Is Being Allowed
After the EC ordered the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls on June 24th, more than 65 lakh voters were excluded for lack of proper documentation. Now, the UIDAI’s data shows that the total number of Aadhaar card holders was more than 1.42 billion as of July 31, 2025.
With India’s total population around 1.46 billion, India’s top court hopes that allowing Aadhaar will help reduce the risk of genuine voters being excluded - especially poorer sections who may not have passports or other formal IDs.
‘Aadhaar Not Proof of Citizenship’
But even if an individual’s Aadhaar is genuine, the EC could raise doubts over the individual’s citizenship. The same scenario can play out with other supporting documents, too, such as a matriculation certificate.
However, the SC clarified that booth level officers (BLOs) are not empowered to decide citizenship and that it is the Centre’s job under the Citizenship Act. They added that BLOs only verify local identity and residence.
For context - Indian citizenship is determined by a complex set of criteria. This includes when a person was born and a determination of the legal status of their parents at the time of their birth under the 1955 Citizenship Act.
More importantly, the inclusion of Aadhaar as a supporting document by the SC is a monumental move. Especially since the EC is likely to roll out a nationwide SIR of electoral rolls with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.
