Supreme Court issues notice on biometric voter verification

April 13, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Central Government, the Election Commission (ECI), and all states on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the implementation of fingerprint and iris-based biometric voter identification systems at polling stations to prevent electoral malpractices.

A bench comprising Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the order while hearing a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

Will not be applicable in upcoming elections
Issuing the notice, the bench headed by CJI Surya Kant clarified that the relief sought in this petition cannot be applied to the upcoming assembly elections in some states.

The court said, “Prima facie, such demands cannot be implemented in the upcoming elections. However, they can be considered for future Lok Sabha and assembly elections.”

Major Changes and Expenses Required
During the hearing, the court stated that implementing such a system would require significant changes to the rules and would also entail significant expenditure.

The petition states that fingerprint and iris-based identification can prevent bribery, pressure, fraudulent voting, duplicate voting, and other electoral malpractices.

Issues Raised in the Petition
The petition states that despite several steps taken by the Election Commission, cases of electoral fraud still occur, affecting the credibility of the electoral process.

According to the petitioner, biometric verification will ensure that only genuine and registered voters can cast their votes, thereby strengthening the principle of “one citizen, one vote.”

The petition also states that the Election Commission can implement such a system using its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution.

Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay said that he had given suggestions in this regard to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Commissioners on March 28, but when no action was taken, he had to file this petition.