Supreme Court Issues Notice on PIL Seeking Fingerprint and Iris Biometric Verification at Polling Booths

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the Union Government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) advocating for the implementation of fingerprint and iris-based biometric identification systems at polling stations across the country.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed to examine the feasibility of biometric authentication to curb electoral malpractices, including duplicate voting, ghost records, and voter impersonation.

The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, urges the adoption of advanced biometric technology to strengthen voter identity verification during national and state elections:

• Preventing Electoral Fraud: The PIL seeks biometric verification to eliminate duplicate entries, ghost voting, personation, and undue influence, ensuring the principle of "One Citizen, One Vote."
• Aadhaar-Style Verification Model: The petitioner highlighted that biometric authentication could draw upon established Aadhaar frameworks, recognized as valid identity proof under Section 23(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Strengthening Real-Time Identity Checks: The plea points out that traditional manual verification using physical EPIC cards remains susceptible to errors due to outdated photographs, clerical inconsistencies, and lack of real-time validation.
• Audit Trails and Secrecy: Biometric authentication provides a verifiable digital record for post-election audits without compromising secret balloting rules.

While issuing notice to examine the proposal for future elections, the apex court noted several legal and financial considerations surrounding nationwide deployment:

• Financial and Infrastructure Requirements: The court observed that equipping polling booths across India with fingerprint and iris scanners would require substantial budgetary allocations from the Ministry of Finance and state governments.
• Legislative Amendments: Implementing biometric validation at polling stations may require formal statutory amendments to statutory election rules and representation acts.
• Future Examination: The bench clarified that while the system cannot be deployed for immediate assembly polls, its long-term viability for subsequent parliamentary and state elections deserves legal and administrative review.

"Adopting objective, biometric verification at polling booths provides a tamper-resistant method to preserve electoral integrity and minimize doubts regarding election outcomes," noted legal observers in New Delhi.

The Supreme Court has sought formal responses from the Union Government and the Election Commission of India before proceeding further with the matter.