SC gives one week to Centre to decide on giving voting rights to NRIs
It asked whether the Central government will amend the law or rules for allowing NRIs to vote.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to clarify within one week how it intends to grant voting rights to NRIs:
It asked whether the Central government will amend the law or rules for allowing NRIs to vote.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission (EC) informed the Centre that it can pull off the process of introducing voting rights for non-resident Indians (NRI) within three months of the law being introduced.
The decision to allow over 10 million NRIs — of whom 24,348 are registered with the EC — to vote through a postal ballot will offer expatriates a chance to participate in the country’s electoral process without having to be physically present at the polling stations.
If it comes to fruition, NRIs from states such as Kerala, Punjab and Telangana - which have large populations of NRIs - will stand to be benefit.
