Raising concerns over intruders who managed to get Aadhaar cards, the Supreme Court has asked whether a non-citizen with an Aadhaar card should be given voting rights too. Aadhaar, the court said, is to ensure social welfare benefits reach everyone, and this document must not automatically confer the right to vote.
The bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Surya Kant is hearing petitions challenging the validity of the Election Commission's move to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in several states.
The bench reiterated that an Aadhaar card does not "confer absolute proof of citizenship". "That is why we said it will be one of the documents on the list of documents. If anyone is deleted, they will have to be given a notice of deletion," it said.
The Aadhaar Act makes it clear that it does not confer citizenship or domicile.
"Aadhaar is a creation of statute for availing benefits. Just because a person was granted Aadhaar for ration, should he be made a voter also? Suppose someone belongs to a neighbouring country and works as a labourer," the Chief Justice said.
The court also said that the Election Commission has the jurisdiction to determine the correctness of documents submitted with a Form 6 application seeking inclusion in a voter list. The poll body, it said, is not a "post office".
