The Election Commission (EC) on Monday told the Madras High Court that advocates who still had the indelible ink mark on their index finger after casting their votes in the recent Bar Council elections, will be allowed to vote in the Assembly elections if they produced Bar Council identity card or other identification document prescribed by the Commission.
Senior Counsel representing the EC, G. Rajagopalan, made the submission before the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam.
It was hearing a public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to election authorities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to allow advocates to vote in the elections on April 13 even if they had the indelible ink mark on their finger. In his petition, filed through counsel S. Namo Narayanan, O. Selvam, an advocate of Madurai, said that elections to the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry were held on March 4 and that many advocates still had the mark.
