The Supreme Court today directed the government to ensure that a system is put in place to allow NRIs to e-vote within 8 weeks. The move came after the government made it clear to the apex court that it was willing to accept the recommendations put forth by the Election Commission, EC in this regard.

The bench headed by Chief Justice H L Duttu gave the Centre four weeks time to inform about further steps taken to implement EC's suggestion.

The Supreme Court passed the order on a submission made by the Centre on the feasibility of allowing NRIs' voting rights during elections.

The apex court had earlier asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the Election Commission's proposal for allowing NRIs to cast their votes through proxy voting and e-ballots in polls in India.

The expatriate Indian community in Dubai and the gulf region has hailed the Supreme Court’s orders to the Government to take steps to ensure that NRIs are also able to vote. Under the proposal, NRIs will be sent ballot papers electronically and they will have to return it to poll authorities physically. Abu Dhabi based expatriate Indian, Dr Shamseer Vayalil, who had filed a petition in Supreme Court to provide voting rights for NRIs, posted on his Facebook page that it is a historic day for all NRIs. The President of the Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, KV Shamsudheen said it has fulfilled one of the long cherished dreams of expatriate Indians.

Chairman of Indian Community Relief Fund in Bahrain, Bhagwandas Asarpota told AIR that grant of e-voting rights for expatriates would further cement the ties of next generation Indians with the motherland.

The Centre today informed the Supreme Court that it has accepted Election Commission's suggestion to extend voting rights to NRIs through postal ballots. The apex court has granted four weeks time to the government to inform what steps it had taken to implement Election Commission's suggestions in this regard. E-postal ballot was one of the two methods of voting proposed by the Election Commission during the hearings.

Election Officials will send postal ballot paper by email to registered NRI voters. They voter can access the ballot paper through a password allotted to him during registration. After downloading the ballot paper, the voter can cast the vote and send it back to the election officials by post or courier along with an attested declaration