New Delhi: The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that it is not mandatory for voters to give Aadhaar numbers for electoral roll authentication, according to Live Law.
The court was hearing a petition by Telangana Congress leader G Niranjan when ECI made it clear that it will make “appropriate clarificatory changes” to electoral roll registration forms based on its approach.
The lawyers representing the Election Commission told the court that Aadhaar numbers were not mandatory under Rule 26-B of the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules 2022.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Justices JB Pardiwala Justice Manoj Misra hard the petition by the Congress leader.
Following the ECI’s undertaking, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition, according to the report.
In June last year, the Centre notified the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules 2022 allowing to link Aadhaar numbers with electoral roll data.
The notification, passed by Parliament in December 2021, was part of the four notifications passed under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021.
Based on this electoral registration official were allowed to seek Aadhaar numbers of citizens in order to establish their identity to register as voters.
Earlier activists questioned sharing Aadhaar details over concerns of compromising the privacy of voters’ data and risk of voters getting excluded from the rolls.