SC declines to halt Bihar draft rolls; asks EC to continue accepting Aadhaar, Voter ID

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the publication of draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar saying it would once for all decide the pleas against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it would fix on July 29, the time schedule to conduct the final hearing of the matter.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for an NGO, said the electoral rolls should not be finalised in the interim and there should be an interim stay on the publication of the draft rolls.

The bench observed the last order of the top court noted the petitioners not pressing for an interim relief and, therefore, it couldn't be done now and matter would be interpreted once for all.

It asked the poll panel to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID for the SIR exercise in Bihar in compliance with its order saying both documents had a "presumption of genuineness".

The court said it prima facie agreed with the order of the top court and the EC accepted in its counter affidavit that Aadhaar, voter cards and ration cards were required to be accepted.

“As far as ration cards are concerned we can say they can be forged easily but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have presumption of genuineness. You continue accepting these documents,” the bench said.