Days after extending more benefits to Persons of Indian Origin, the government is set to accept the recommendations of a committee which has favoured voting for NRIs through electronic means.
The government has already firmed up its stand on the issue of NRI voting and will tell the Supreme Court this week that it accepts the recommendations of the committee, including e-ballot for NRIs.
Appearing for the petitioners, senior counsel Dushyant Dave told the court that the recommendation of the panel set up by the Election Commission could be carried out both by the executive order or by taking a legislative route.
On this the court said ‘’they ill take the follow-up action. If it is amending the law then they will amend and if it is through an executive order they will pass it.”
Senior counsel Meenakshi Arora, who appeared for the poll panel, told the court that for facilitating NRI voting as suggested by the expert panel would require amending the law as at present the votes could only be exercised at the polling booth concerned.
On November 14 last year, the court had asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the EC’s proposal for allowing NRIs to cast their votes through proxy voting and e-ballots in polls in India.