Congress leader challenges Aadhaar-voter identity card linking, Supreme Court to hear petition tomorrow

The Supreme Court previously said linking Aadhaar voter ID cards would be voluntary.

New Delhi:

The controversial law linking Aadhaar and Voter ID Cards was opposed in the High Court, with Parliament’s Randeep Singh Surjewala asking for it to be removed. In his petition, Mr Surjewala called the law “unconstitutional” and a violation of privacy and equality. The highest court will hear the case tomorrow.

The project to link Aadhaar to election data was started by the Election Commission as part of the electoral reform process. The idea is to prevent multiple entries in the voter list and make them error free.

The Elections Act (Amendment) Bill allows election registration officers to search for Aadhaar numbers of people who wish to register as voters “for the purpose of establishing identity”.

The government has argued that it is meant to weed out fake voters by preventing people from registering their names on voter lists in many states.

The opposition argues that allowing Aadhaar to be linked to voter ID could lead to more non-citizens voting in the country.

Congress opposed the bill, alleging that it was rushed through by Congress during the Winter Session without any real debate over possible flaws. The law was passed by both houses within 24 hours.

Besides the Congress, the DMK of MK Stalin, the Congress Party of Sharad Pawar, the Congress of Trinamool, Shiv Sena and the BSP opposed the new laws.

Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien has been suspended after he allegedly threw rule books at President Rajya Sabha during protests over the bill.

Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor said: “Aadhaar is considered proof of residency, not citizenship. “If you request an Aadhar card from a voter, all you get is a document that reflects where you live. You have the ability to give voting rights to non-citizens,” he added. .

Under the Supreme Court’s privacy ruling, seeding Aadhaar with voter ID would be voluntary. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has emphasized that the association will be voluntary.

“Linking a voter ID card to Aadhaar will be voluntary and optional. Even if a citizen does not have an Aadhaar card, their name will not be removed from the voter list. If you are over 18 and are on the electoral roll… then you are a voter,” Mr. Rijiju told NDTV in an exclusive interview.