Technical Consultations with UIDAI Experts to Begin Soon
KD NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, Mar 19: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will initiate the process of linking the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) with Aadhaar as per the constitutional provisions and relevant judgments of the Supreme Court. This was disclosed in a statement issued by P. Pawan, Deputy Director, Election Commission of India (ECI) following a high-level meeting held at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi, today.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Legislative Department, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and technical experts of the ECI.
Linking Process to Adhere to Constitutional and Legal Framework
The ECI emphasized that the linking of EPIC with Aadhaar will be undertaken strictly in accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution of India, which mandates that voting rights can only be extended to Indian citizens. The Aadhaar card, the Commission clarified, serves only as an identity verification tool and cannot be used to determine a person’s citizenship status.
Furthermore, the Commission stated that the linkage process will adhere to the provisions of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950, particularly: Section 23(4): Provides for the correction of entries in the electoral roll. Section 23(5): Deals with the inclusion or exclusion of names in the electoral roll. Section 23(6): Pertains to the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.
The Commission also asserted that the process will comply with the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of India in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 177/2023, ensuring the protection of privacy and adherence to legal safeguards.
Technical Consultations Between ECI and UIDAI Experts Soon
To facilitate the seamless implementation of this initiative, the ECI announced that technical consultations between UIDAI and ECI experts will commence shortly. These consultations aim to address concerns related to data security, privacy, and the operational challenges associated with linking Aadhaar with EPIC.
The linkage is expected to streamline the electoral roll management process, helping to identify duplicate or fraudulent entries and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process. However, the ECI emphasized that linking Aadhaar with EPIC is voluntary and will be carried out in a transparent manner with due diligence.
