Will make 'clarificatory' changes in forms to say linking Aadhaar with voter ID optional, EC tells SC

The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that furnishing of Aadhaar number would not be mandatory for registration of voters in electoral rolls.

Senior advocate Sukumar Pattjoshi and advocate Amit Sharma on behalf of the EC submitted before a bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that the poll panel would issue clarificatory changes in Forms 6 and 6B (for Registration in E-Roll) which required details of Aadhaar number for the purpose of electoral roll authentication for new voters.

He said that the submission of the Aadhaar number was not mandatory under Rule 26-B of the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules 2022.

Responding to a petition filed by G Niranjan of Telangana Pradesh Committee, the counsel said nearly 66.23 crore Aadhaar numbers have already been uploaded in the process of finalising electoral rolls.

The court disposed of the petition, which questioned the validity of the requirement of furnishing the Aadhaar details with Form 6 (application form for new voters) and Form 6B (Letter of Information of Aadhaar number for the purpose of electoral roll authentication) of the ECI forms for registration in e-roll.

The Union government had in June, 2022 notified the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules 2022 to allow linking Aadhaar numbers with electoral roll data.

The notifications were issued under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 that was passed by Parliament in December 2021.