Registered NRI Voters Overseas Will Have To Wait For Future Elections

Monday, 14 April 2014, 18:28 IST
22
cmt right
19
Comment Right
25
cmt right
4
cmt right
Printer Print Email Email

NEW DELHI: NRIs who are registered voters in India will not be able to vote from their foreign locations as Supreme Court Friday accepted that the Election Commission faced statutory and logistic impediments in extending overseas voting facilities to them.

Noting that election for some phases has already been completed, a bench of Justice K.S.Radhakrishnan and Justice Vikramajit Sen said that permitting the NRIs to vote in the remaining six phases would open a "Pandora box" that in some cases, some NRIs have been allowed and not the others.

Taking note of the practical problems that confronted the poll panel even though it was in the favour of extending voting facilities to NRIs from their overseas locations, Justice Radhakrishnsan told petitioner Shamsheer V.P that the "point you have raised is favoured by them (Election Commission) but they have some practical difficulties".

Shamsheer V.P has sought the reading down of Section 20A of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2010 that mandates the presence of the listed voter at the polling station to cast his vote.

He had contended that any distinction between those physically present at polling booth and those overseas would be violative of article 19(1) as well as article 21 of the constitution.

The court noted that the Election Commission has already decided to constitute a committee to examine the feasibility of different options that can be considered for facilitating voting by overseas NRI electors as it adjourned the hearing till August end for the committee to complete its work and report to the court.
READ MORE:
Asian Americans 'Too Busy' To Vote In U.S.
Eyeing White House, Bobby Jindal Steps Up Political Activity


Source: IANS
next new