The Hindu : New Delhi News : Prisoner can fight election but cannot cast his vote!

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Sunday, Nov 30, 2008
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Prisoner can fight election but cannot cast his vote!

NEW DELHI: A prisoner can fight an election but he cannot cast his vote!

Strange, yes, but as Delhi went to the polls in 69 constituencies on Saturday to elect a new government, at least 7,800 inmates of Tihar Jail did not exercise their democratic rights after being restrained by law.

“As per the law, the prisoners are not allowed to cast their votes. Hence there was no question of inmates being asked to exercise their electoral franchise,” Tihar Jail spokesman Sunil Gupta told PTI.

Of a total of 12,000 prisoners lodged in Tihar Jail, at least 65 per cent have their names listed in Delhi’s electoral rolls.

Though an under-trial Kashmiri lodged in Tihar on terror charges is fighting the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election from Bandipora which went to the polls a few days ago, his inmates constrained by the law could not vote.

Mohammed Iqbal Jan, a 30-year-old businessman who is contesting on National Panther’s Party ticket, was arrested by the Delhi Police’s elite anti-terror Special Cell on November 16, 2006, on charges of helping militants.

The National Human Rights Commission has recommended that under-trials be allowed to vote in the elections and the maximum period of detention per person be reduced to six months.

In its draft recommendations on detention, the NHRC said the provision of right to vote “should be ensured to the under-trials”.

- PTI

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