Supreme Court Pushes for Acceptance of Aadhaar and EPIC as Identity Documents in Bihar SIR Exercise

• The Supreme Court has urged the Election Commission (EC) to accept Aadhaar and the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) as identity documents in the Bihar SIR exercise.

• The court argues that “mass inclusion” should be the outcome of the exercise, not “en masse exclusion.”

• The EC has resisted the court’s suggestion, stating that Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration cards can be easily forged.

• Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi argue that Aadhaar and EPIC have a “presumption of correctness” and that the EC issued EPIC itself.

• Justice Bagchi questions the EC’s logic, arguing that none of the 11 ‘indicative’ documents acceptable as proof of identity are conclusive.