New Delhi, April 16 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a Public Interest Litigation plea seeking the introduction of compulsory voting in India along with penal consequences for citizens who deliberately abstain from voting, observing that participation in elections cannot be enforced through coercive measures.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi said that while citizens in a democracy are expected to exercise their franchise, the State cannot compel them to vote.
During the hearing, the petitioner submitted that those not voting should be subjected to penal consequences, including denial of certain government amenities, and suggested that the Election Commission of India be di...