Aadhaar, Voter ID are not proof of citizenship – Supreme Court clarifies

In a recent landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has made it clear that ordinary identity documents like Aadhaar card, voter ID, ration card cannot be considered as definitive proof of citizenship. It has confirmed that these are useful for identifying a person, but they are not legally sufficient to determine whether that person is a citizen of India or not. The Election Commission (ECI) also expressed the same view in the court. The Commission has clarified that errors can occur if the voter list is prepared solely on the basis of Aadhaar card or other identity documents, and hence it is necessary to verify each document.

During the judgment, the Supreme Court strictly warned that no one should be unnecessarily removed from the voter list. Since removing a citizen's name from the list means taking away his right to vote, the court ordered a thorough investigation before doing so. The judgment made it clear that the responsibility of verifying the necessary documents lies entirely with the Election Commission, which must ensure that the voter list is accurate.

Similarly, the court also said that specific, legal evidence is required for determining citizenship. It has been suggested that it is not right to identify someone as a citizen just by having Aadhaar or Voter ID, and this determination should be made only through original citizenship documents — birth certificate, passport or other legal documents recognized by the government. This judgment protects the rights of citizens and leads to further enhancement of justice, equality and transparency in the country's democracy.