Why is it in the news?

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) proposed changes to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and voter enrolment forms to eliminate the requirement for providing reasons for not linking Aadhaar with voter ID.

More about the news

• The proposal aimed to address a recent Supreme Court petition highlighting ambiguity in the forms regarding the voluntary nature of linking Aadhaar with voter IDs.
• Initially, in 2015, the EC initiated a drive to link Aadhaar with the electoral roll database to remove bogus or duplicate entries, but this was halted following a Supreme Court ruling limiting Aadhaar usage.
• In 2019, the EC renewed its proposal to link Aadhaar with the electoral roll, requesting amendments to election laws to facilitate Aadhaar collection.
• The government passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, enabling voluntary Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage, introducing Form 6B for existing electors to provide Aadhaar numbers.
• However, a recent Supreme Court petition raised concerns over the lack of an option for individuals who choose not to link their Aadhaar with their Voter IDs in registration forms.
• In response, the EC proposed amending the RP Act, 1950, to remove the requirement for providing a “sufficient cause” for not providing Aadhaar and suggested changing forms to include an optional Aadhaar number field.
• However, the government reportedly rejected the need for legislative amendments, suggesting that clarifications from the EC would be sufficient.