Do undertrial prisoners also have the right to vote? The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Election Commission and the Central Government.

Desk: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Central Government and the Election Commission on a public interest litigation seeking the restoration of voting rights for approximately 450,000 undertrial prisoners lodged in jails across the country. A bench comprising Chief Justice (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran noted the argument of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the current blanket ban imposed under Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, violates constitutional guarantees and international democratic norms.

The petition, filed by Sunita Sharma, a resident of Patiala, Punjab, has named the Central Government and the Election Commission as respondents through the Central Ministry. The petition seeks judicial intervention to ensure that prisoners who have not been convicted of electoral offenses or corruption are not arbitrarily deprived of their democratic right.