The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as valid documents during SIR in Bihar, set to go to polls later this year. Calling SIR a “constitutional mandate”, the top court also permitted the poll panel to continue with the exercise.

CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, a key opposition leader in the state who is also one of the petitioners, came out with a statement claiming “the Supreme Court order corroborates the basic fears and objections of the electorate”.

He hailed the apex court’s advice to the EC to include Aadhar, Voter ID cards and ration cards in the acceptable list of documents as being “in the interest of justice” and voicing “common demand of every voter on the ground”.

The SIR, ordered through a notification dated June 24 last, requires every voter to sign “enumeration forms” provided by respective booth-level officers. However, those whose names did not figure in the electoral rolls of 2003, when a similar exercise was conducted, would need to furnish additional proof of identity. Exclusion of Aadhar cards, ration cards and MNREGA job cards has been a major bone of contention.