New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the option of none of the above (NOTA) cannot be permitted in Rajya Sabha elections. The order came on a petition filed by a Congress leader from Gujarat.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud has set aside the Election Commission’s notification allowing NOTA option in the ballot papers for Rajya Sabha polls.
The apex court had questioned the poll panel’s notification and said that NOTA was meant to be exercised by individual voters in direct polls.
The top court had earlier said by introducing NOTA, the poll panel was legitimising the act of not voting.
On July 31, Justice Chandrachud had said, “The idea of NOTA in Rajya Sabha elections was to prevent cross-voting, But allowing NOTA is like allowing cross-voting through the back door.”
“We cannot tolerate the prescription of NOTA in Rajya Sabha elections. Why should the Supreme Court be a part to an unconstitutional principle?” the CJI had said in the last hearing.