SC says ECI's Roll Revision drive mandated in Constitution

The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Election Commission of India on the timing of the Special Intensive Revision drive in poll-bound Bihar saying it went to the "root of democracy and power to vote" while rejecting the argument that the poll panel did not have any power to carry it out.

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The ECI also justified the exercise and said Aadhaar wasn't a "proof of citizenship".

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi questioned Dwivedi over the exclusion of Aadhaar card in the SIR drive in Bihar and said the ECI had nothing to do with citizenship of a person and it was the Ministry of Home Affairs' domain.

Dwivedi responded while referring to Article 326 of the Constitution and said every voter has to be an Indian citizen and "Aadhaar card is not proof of citizenship".

The bench, in the meantime, rejected the submission of the petitioners' counsel that the ECI did not have power to conduct any such exercise in Bihar for it was mandated under the Constitution and the last such exercise happened in 2003.