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NOTA cannot be allowed in Rajya Sabha polls: Supreme Court

ANI
Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Aug 21, 2018, 07:26 PM IST
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File photo: Supreme Court of India. Photograph:(Zee News Network)

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The apex court overruled the notification of the Election Commission (EC) made during the 2017 Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the option of NOTA (None of the above) cannot be used in Rajya Sabha elections.

A bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra observed that NOTA should be applied in direct polls only.

With this, the apex court overruled the notification of the Election Commission (EC) made during the 2017 Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat, allowing NOTA option.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Gujarat Congress leader, Shailesh Manubhai Parmar in 2017, challenging the Election Commission's order.

The EC had earlier said that NOTA was first introduced in 2014 after the apex court verdict, wherein it directed that the option of NOTA shall be provided on the ballot papers or Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).