Young voters disenfranchised by current rules, SC issues notice on student postal Ballot Plea

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union Government, Election Commission, and UGC on a PIL seeking to extend postal ballot or holiday voting options to students residing outside their home constituencies, highlighting a gap in electoral access that may affect millions of young voters.

Filed by Jayasudhagar J., the petition challenges the existing framework that allows postal ballots only for service members, government employees posted abroad, and certain other categories, leaving students aged 18 and above effectively disenfranchised if they cannot travel to their home constituencies on polling day.

The plea contends that students constitute a sizable and distinct class of electors facing unavoidable practical barriers, and seeks directions to include them under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act and related election rules, pointing out that alternative arrangements exist for other voters under similar constraints.

A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria issued notice to the respondents for their response, thereby keeping the matter under judicial consideration. The Court did not comment on the merits but recognized the significance of the petition, which asserts that “students, despite being a sizeable and distinct class of electors who face genuine and unavoidable practical impediments in travelling to their home constituencies on polling day, are not recognised as a separate category eligible for any alternative voting mechanism.”

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