No plan to amend law to give voting rights to undertrials: Govt in RS

The government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that it has no plan to amend the electoral law to grant voting rights to undertrials. The Union law ministry was asked about the government's "rationale" behind continuing the disenfranchisement of undertrial prisoners, despite their legal status as innocent until proven guilty, and whether it is considering to amend the Representation of the People Act to give undertrials voting rights.

In his written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which debars a person to vote in any election if he is confined in a jail, whether under imprisonment or otherwise, or in the lawful custody of police and hence, in view of this, there are no plans to tweak the law.