The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, the Election Commission, and others on a plea proposing the implementation of a finger and iris biometric identification system at polling stations to prevent duplicate voting
SC seeks Centre, EC reply on biometric voting system plea. Representational Pic
The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, the Election Commission, and others on a plea proposing the implementation of a finger and iris biometric identification system at polling stations to prevent duplicate voting.
Supreme Court agrees to examine plea
While agreeing to hear the plea, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made it clear that the prayer sought in the petition cannot be considered for the ongoing state Assembly elections in some states.
“However, whether such a recourse deserves to be followed before the next parliamentary election and/or state Assembly elections needs to be examined. Issue notice,” the bench said, PTI reported.
Notices issued to Centre, EC, states
The top court issued notice to the Centre, the poll panel, and several states, seeking their responses to the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
Upadhyay, who appeared in person, told the bench that the measures sought in the plea would help prevent bribery and proxy voting, the news agency reported.
The bench observed that implementing such a system would require major changes to existing rules and could entail a significant financial burden.
Plea seeks biometric voter authentication
The plea stated that the poll panel, by using its plenary powers under Article 324, may implement finger and iris-based biometric authentication to strengthen voter identification and eliminate bribery, undue influence, impersonation, duplicate voting, and ghost voting.
During the hearing, Upadhyay clarified that his plea was not related to the ongoing Assembly elections in five states.
‘One Citizen, One Vote’ argument
The petition argued that adopting finger and iris biometric verification at polling booths would ensure that only genuine and duly registered electors are allowed to cast their votes.
“The injury to citizens is extremely large, as bribery, undue influence, impersonation, duplicate voting, and ghost voting still affect the purity and integrity of the electoral process,” it submitted, PTI reported.
“Therefore, to uphold the constitutional mandate of free and fair elections, the Election Commission of India may consider implementing finger and iris biometric authentication at polling booths in upcoming Assembly elections,” the plea said.
Concerns over current voter ID system
It further claimed that voter identification currently relies on voter ID cards and manual verification, which are susceptible to misuse due to outdated photographs, clerical errors, and the lack of real-time validation.
“This creates scope for impersonation and multiple voting by the same individual or by unauthorised persons. Finger and iris biometric authentication, being unique to each individual, would eliminate duplication and ghost voting and ensure strict compliance with ‘One Citizen, One Vote',” it said.
Migratory population and data gaps
The plea also highlighted that a significant portion of the population is migratory, often leading to inconsistencies in electoral rolls across constituencies.
It added that biometric identification enables real-time authentication, creating a verifiable digital record of voter verification at polling booths.
The plea noted that the Aadhaar system, implemented by the Unique Identification Authority of India, has successfully established a robust biometric identity framework in the country.
“Its use in sectors such as banking and welfare scheme delivery has significantly reduced fraud and ensured accurate identification. Extending similar biometric verification to elections would be a logical and effective step,” it said.
(With PTI inputs)
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