The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 amends the Representation of the People Act, 1950 for authentication of existing voter IDs. The stated purpose behind the legislation is to combat “fraud and duplication” in the election records. However, several questions arise: Does the Bill mandate linking of Aadhaar to voter ID card? If so, can a law like this withstand the constitutional scrutiny? Does this have a bearing on privacy of individuals? What has happened since the Bill has been passed by the Parliament? The article aims to provide answers to these pressing questions.
