Voter ID Card, Aadhaar Card, PAN Card or Driving License? Which one is proof of Indian citizenship? Mumbai Court answers

Voter ID card vs Aadhaar Card vs PAN Card: To put the debate at rest on which one is the ideal citizenship proof for an India, a magistrate court in Mumbai has delivered its verdict citing voter ID card is sufficient proof for establishing one's citizenship. The Mumbai court also said that one's Aadhaar Card, PAN Card or Driving License (DL) are an insufficient proof for establishing the citizenship of the card holder. The Mumbai magistrate court delivered this verdict last month while hearing the case of a couple arrested in 2017 for entering the Indian territory illegally.

The Mumbai magistrate court verdict said that the birth certificate, passport, domicile certificate, bonafide certificate, etc are sufficient enough to establish one's origin citing, "Election card (Voter ID card) can be said to be a sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or voting card, a person has to file declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment."

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The Mumbai magistrate court order went on to clarify that one's Aadhaar Card, Driving License (DL), PAN card or ration card cannot be termed documents proving the citizenship of any person. The Mumbai Court said that such documents are not meant for the purpose of citizenship and hence these documents are insufficient proofs to establish one's citizenship.

So, it's important for each and every Indian citizen above 18 years of age to have their Voter ID Card. If someone still don't have the Voter ID and they have crossed 18 years of age they needs to apply for one's voter ID card on an urgent basis.

How to apply online for voter ID Card?

The voter ID card online apply is very simple. All you have to do is to go to the Election Commission of India (ECI) official website — eci.gov.in — voter id registration. Here is step by step guide on how to apply for Voer ID card online:

1] Log in at the official website of the Election Commission of India — eci.gov.in;
2] Click on National Voters Services Portal;
3] Click on "Apply online for registration of new voter";
4] Enter your details and upload the documents sought; and
5] Click on the "Submit" button below.

Once you submit, you will receive an email on the email address that you have provided. This email will have a link to a personal Voter's ID page. You will be able to track your voter ID application through this page, and you should receive your Voter ID card in a month from your application.