Supreme Court to Review Biometric Voting System Proposal Ahead of Future Elections

The Supreme Court of India is considering a petition that proposes the implementation of a biometric identification system at polling stations to combat duplicate voting. While the court clarified that this measure cannot be applied to the current state Assembly elections, it will evaluate its feasibility for future parliamentary and state elections. The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, emphasizes the significant risks posed to electoral integrity by issues such as bribery and impersonation. Responses from the Election Commission and the central government have been requested as part of this review process.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 13, 2026, 13:14 IST

Supreme Court Considers Biometric Voting Measures

New Delhi: On Monday, the Supreme Court expressed its willingness to consider a petition that requests the Election Commission to adopt a biometric identification system using fingerprints and iris scans at polling stations to eliminate duplicate votes.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi clarified that the request cannot be addressed for the ongoing state Assembly elections in various regions.

The bench stated, “Nonetheless, we need to evaluate whether this approach should be implemented before the upcoming parliamentary and state assembly elections. Notice has been issued.”

The court has requested feedback from the central government, the election authority, and several states regarding the petition submitted by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

The petition highlighted significant concerns for citizens, citing issues such as bribery, undue influence, impersonation, duplicate voting, and ghost voting, which compromise the integrity and purity of the electoral process.