If the hearing on several petitions filed on behalf of overseas Indians is any indication, the Supreme Court appears to be suitably inclined in their favor. The Apex Court has been hearing petitions to make voting via postal ballots available for NRIs. There is a substantial population of NRIs, mostly migrant skilled and unskilled laborers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Middle East and other parts of the world that have been seeking voting rights for a long time.

Though at one stage, the Apex Court held that extending the postal ballot facility available to those serving in remote far-flung areas security forces was different from extending the same to those who have chosen to work or live abroad for various reasons. At the same time, the Supreme Court acknowledged that it would be beyond the means of the migrant laborers to travel back home just to exercise their franchise. It was in this context; it sought the union government’s stance on the subject. Once granted the right to vote, Nis would become a decisive factor in the country’s electoral politics.

Besides the migrant laborers, an equally strong section is of Indian students studying abroad. Their number has been growing by hundreds of thousands every year. A substantial section of these students wants to retain their Indian citizenship and be part of the political system here. The Union Government had introduced a Bill in the Parliament to make necessary amendments to the Representation of the People Act – the law that governs electoral politics in the country –  to allow MRIs to vote by proxy. But it lapsed with the dissolution of the last Lok Sabha.

This amendment suggested the removal of unreasonable restrictions that require NRIs to be physically present to exercise their franchise. Before arriving at any decision, the Apex Court also wanted to know whether the Union Government was considering any option of allowing digital voting while maintaining the secrecy and sanctity of the voting process.

Another possibility of permitting remote voting is also under consideration as the Election Commission has also prepared a report for extending voting rights to NRIs remotely. One hopes the right to vote to the NRIs will not remain a wait for Godot.