New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the Election Commission’s order providing for ‘None of the Above Option’ in Rajya Sabha elections, observing that it will destroy the concept of value of a vote and encourage defection and corruption.
A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud gave this ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by Shailesh Manubhai Parmar, chief whip of the Congress in Gujarat challenging the EC’s order issued on the eve of Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat.
The CJI said, “Nota will destroy the concept of value of a vote and representation and encourage defection that shall open the doors for corruption which is a malignant disorder. The court said it is a well-settled principle that what cannot be done directly, cannot be done indirectly.”
