Thinking about linking voter list with Aadhaar before linking

A reluctance to allow meaningful debate and to invite broad consultation can also undo progressive aspects of problematic legislation. Ignoring the protests, the central government through a bill in Parliament has managed to add Voter list data with Aadhaar ecosystem, From the above, the bill’s purpose—purifying the rolls and weeding out bogus voters—may seem plausible, and seeding of aadhar data A good way might seem to be to achieve this with voter ID details. In fact, it could even allow remote voting, a measure that could help migrant voters. The four qualifying dates for revision of rolls will help in faster enrollment of those who turn 18. However, other Aspects have serious implications for electoral democracy, The opposition highlighted the potential for legitimate voters to be denied voting rights or unable to submit Aadhaar details, possible breach of privacy and misuse of demographic details for profiling of voters. Each is a valid concern which should be considered by a parliamentary committee. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that the Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice has unanimously approved the proposal. But, it is not clear whether the specifics of the bill were widely discussed and public opinion was sought.

In fact there are complaints that some voters may be registered in more than one constituency and that non-citizens are enrolled, but these can be addressed by other identification procedures. In fact, the Aadhaar database may be irrelevant to verify voter identity as it is the identifier of residents and not citizens. And complaints of wrong enrollment have also been reported against the Unique Identification Number allotted to more than 90% of the population. Mr Rijiju is confident that the Election Law (Amendment) Bill satisfies the tests laid down by the Supreme Court – a permissible law, a legitimate state interest and proportionality. However, it should be strictly scrutinized. Even though the requirement of Aadhaar has been described as voluntary, it can be made mandatory in practice. The Bill states that the Election Registration Officer may be required to submit Aadhaar numbers for both fresh nominations and those already enrolled. The option not to submit is linked to a “substantial reason”, which will be determined separately. Whether objection to principle includes some of the permissible reasons for not reporting one’s Aadhaar number is unknown. If refusal to furnish details by any person is deemed unacceptable, it may result in loss of franchise. Therefore, the measure may fail the test of proportionality. If the government really has no ulterior motive in the form of triggering mass deletions from the electoral rolls, it should invite public opinion and allow a thorough parliamentary scrutiny before implementing the new provisions Now approved by both the houses of Parliament.