Syllabus: GS-II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Elections and RPA, Issue: Aadhaar-Voter ID linking
Context: The Election Commission proposed amending the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950 to make it explicit that Aadhaar linking with voter IDs is voluntary, but the Law Ministry suggested issuing guidelines instead.
Aadhaar seeding with voter ID – Timeline:
- EC had first initiated the exercise of linking Aadhaar with EPIC in 2015.
- Aim :To ensure that one voter is registered in only one constituency or only once in the same constituency.
- The court held that although privacy is a fundamental right (K.S.Puttaswamy case), it can be curtailed if
- Specific law authorising collection of Aadhaar
- Legitimate state interest
- Proportionality test is satisfied.
- Parliament amended the RP Act, 1950 in December 2021 to allow linking of Aadhaar with EPIC for “cleaning” voter lists.
- At present linking of Aadhaar with EPIC is voluntary, no elector can be denied registration or deleted from the rolls for not providing Aadhaar.
| Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950
Laid the foundation for fair and free elections to the Parliament of India and the State Legislative Assemblies and Councils. Provisions on: ● Allocation of Seats ● Voter Qualifications and Disqualifications ● Electoral Roll Preparation and Revision ● Conduct of Elections ● Election Dispute Resolution |
