A foreign national cannot claim electoral rights reserved by law for citizens merely because his/her name has continued to remain in an electoral roll, says HC
The Madras High Court ruled that foreign nationals cannot claim electoral rights in India simply because their names remain on the electoral roll. The case involved a Sri Lankan citizen who inadvertently voted in a Tamil Nadu election after acquiring foreign citizenship.
Why it matters
This clarifies the legal boundaries of citizenship and voting rights, emphasizing that electoral rolls do not supersede constitutional citizenship requirements.
A foreign national cannot claim the electoral rights reserved by law for citizens merely because his/her name has erroneously or otherwise continued to remain in an electoral roll, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has said.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Jeya Ananthan. The petitioner was born in 1986 in Kuttam in Tirunelveli district. He was an Indian citizen by birth. His father was carrying on a business in Colombo in Sri Lanka. In 2003, his father fell ill and was unable to manage the business by himself. The petitioner proceeded to Colombo to assist him.
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