Latest news with #EPICS
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Aadhaar, voter ID & ration cards can't be considered for SIR: EC
File photo NEW DELHI: Disagreeing with Supreme Court 's prima facie view that Aadhaar card , voter ID card and ration card be considered valid documents for its SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, EC told the court that they cannot be relied upon — Aadhaar is just an identity proof; there are a large number of fake ration cards floating around in the country; and relying on existing voter cards would make the special drive futile. It, however, said citizenship of a person will not terminate on account of not being part of the electoral rolls. In a voluminous affidavit filed in SC late evening, the poll panel also said that there was no violation of any law and fundamental rights of voter in conducting the exercise and pleaded the court to dismiss the petition filed by 11 opposition parties, NGOs and some residents of Bihar for scrapping of SIR and holding the Nov assembly election on the previous electoral rolls which were revised in Dec. It said Section 9 of Citizenship Act has no application to SIR exercise. 'Under the SIR exercise, citizenship of an individual will not terminate on account of the fact that he/she is held to be ineligible for registration in the electoral rolls,' the affidavit said. Justifying its decision not to treat EPIC as proof of eligibility for inclusion in the electoral roll, EC said, 'The conceptual and procedural integrity of a de-novo revision would stand undermined if EPICS, which are merely reflective of prior entries, are used to validate entries in a roll that is required to be constructed anew. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo The EPIC, being a by-product of an earlier electoral roll, cannot substitute the verification process mandated for fresh preparation. ' EC said given the widespread existence of fake ration cards, it has not been prescribed within a list of 11 documents to be relied upon for screening eligibility. 'And it is submitted that Aadhaar is merely a proof of identity of a person.A person who seeks to claim a benefit can utilise an Aadhaar card to show he/she is who he/she claims to be... There are restrictions on usage of Aadhaar to check eligibility under Article 326,' it said.
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Electors to get EPICS within 15 days of update in electoral rolls: ECI
ANI 18 Jun 2025, 23:55 GMT+10 New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): To ensure faster delivery of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICS) to the electors, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) enabling the delivery of EPICs within 15 days of an update in the electoral rolls, including new enrolment of an elector or change in any particulars of an existing elector. The initiative is in line with the various measures being undertaken by the ECI for the convenience of electors as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, according to a release. The new system will ensure real-time tracking of each stage right from the EPIC generation by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) till the delivery of EPIC to the elector through the Department of Posts (DOP). Electors will also receive notifications via SMS at each stage, keeping them informed about the status of their EPICS, the release stated. For this purpose, ECI has introduced a dedicated IT module on its recently launched ECINet platform. The new IT platform will replace the existing process by re-engineering the current system and streamlining the workflow. DoP's Application Programme Interface (API) will be integrated with the ECINet for seamless delivery. This initiative aims to enhance service delivery while maintaining data security. Providing prompt and efficient electoral services to all its electors is a major focus area for the ECI. It may be recalled that in the past four months, the Commission has taken a slew of initiatives for the benefit of electors and other stakeholders, the release added. (ANI)
