Defence men can register to vote at peace stations: SC

Defence personnel posted at peace stations were on Monday allowed by the Supreme Court to register themselves as general voters who can now cast their franchise for the upcoming 2014 Lok Sabha polls in the town where they reside.

Defence personnel posted at peace stations were on Monday allowed by the Supreme Court to register themselves as general voters who can now cast their franchise for the upcoming 2014 Lok Sabha polls in the town where they reside.

The interim order said its direction would apply only to those officers who are posted at the station on January 1, 2014 and continued to remain there till the commencement of the polls.

Passed on two PILs, the order would preclude over 13 lakh armed personnel who have already registered themselves as service voters and can only participate in the polls through postal ballot or proxy voting.

Defence personnel residing in 225 constituencies, where the EC has already commenced the process to notify the polls, would not benefit from this order. Similar benefit would be extended to the wives of such personnel though.