New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) The BJP on Monday cautioned rivals against misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s order on Aadhaar and Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, adding that the top court’s ruling will not mean automatic inclusion in the voter roll on mere presentation of Aadhaar.

Amit Malviya, in charge of the BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, said the Supreme Court has given the ECI the liberty to verify, at any stage, the authenticity and genuineness of the Aadhaar card used for enumeration.

“The Election Commission of India is the final arbiter. Aadhaar is only a proof of identity (Section 23(4) of the Representation of People Act, 1950), and ECI has always treated it as such,” said Malviya.

The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to accept the Aadhar card as the 12th document in the stipulated list for conducting the voter verification drive in Bihar, and also called for its inclusion as a document for identity proof.

Breaking down the apex court’s observations on Special Intensive Revision (SIR), ECI’s counsel Rakesh Dwidevi said that many petitioners argued before the court over the inclusion of Aadhaar in the verification drive; however, the SC made it clear that the Aadhaar cards will be considered for SIR exercise, but can’t serve as the proof/evidence of citizenship.

Earlier, Congress MP and General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, hailed the apex court verdict and slammed the poll panel.

“The Election Commission should be held accountable… for brazenly failing to comply with the Supreme Court’s directive to accept Aadhaar as proof of identity. Today, for the third time, the Supreme Court has reiterated that Aadhaar should be accepted as a valid proof of identity for voter registration,” he said.

The Election Commission is repeatedly creating such obstacles that are deliberately causing inconvenience in the registration of legitimate voters. It has refused to recognise BLA (Booth Level Agents) appointed by political parties, refused to accept Aadhaar, and even issued notices to officials that only those documents should be accepted which the Commission has determined, said Ramesh.

He also slammed the lack of time for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and its proximity to the Assembly polls, claiming that these factors compelled the Supreme Court to intervene to ensure basic checks and balances.

–IANS

rch/dan