Bhartiya Janata Party’s In-charge of BJP’s National Information & Technology Deptl Amit Malviya has sharply criticised what he calls “misleading interpretations” of the Supreme Court’s August 22 order in the Association of Democratic Reforms vs Election Commission case.
In a detailed post on X, Malviya clarified that the apex court did not endorse Aadhaar as a valid document for automatic voter enrolment under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Malviya pointed to Point 9 of the judgment, asserting that nowhere does the Court suggest Aadhaar be used to validate citizenship.
“Aadhaar is only proof of identity and residence,” he wrote, citing the Aadhaar Act. “It does not establish citizenship or domicile.”
He further invoked Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which disqualifies non-citizens and those of unsound mind from being registered as voters.
The strategist warned that misattributing directives to the Supreme Court amounts to contempt, urging media houses and political actors to refrain from propagating false narratives.
He also referenced the Court’s August 12 observation that Aadhaar is not a legal document to prove citizenship. Malviya’s post took aim at the “vote chori” campaign, calling it a manufactured outcry.
He highlighted that despite the deletion of 65 lakh allegedly fake, dead, Bangladeshi, and Rohingya names from Bihar’s electoral rolls, only 84,305 objections were filed – a mere 1.3 per cent response rate.
“Well below the standard margin of error,” he noted.
The Supreme Court, in its order, directed political parties to assist genuine voters in reapplying. It noted that 2,63,257 new electors had submitted forms upon turning 18, and emphasised that parties must report wrongful exclusions or inclusions to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) by the cut-off date.
In a pointed observation, the Court expressed surprise that 1,60,813 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties had filed only two objections.
Some parties claimed their BLAs were being obstructed, but the Court has now mandated each BLA to help restore 10 genuine voters daily — potentially enabling 16 lakh re-enrolments per day.
Malviya concluded with a firm assertion: “SIR is intact. Aadhaar alone cannot get you enrolled. Only Indian citizens will elect the next government — not foreigners.”
His post underscores the BJP’s stance that the Supreme Court has not diluted the legal safeguards around voter eligibility, and that the integrity of the electoral roll remains paramount.
