A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam observed that the option of 'none of the above' (NOTA) in the Electronic Voting Machines and ballot papers is similar to the option of 'ABSTAIN' mentioned in voting machines in Parliament.
The bench, also comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, referred to the three options -- AYES, NOES, and ABSTAIN -- given in voting machines in Parliament and said the NOTA option would effectively enable a voter to say he or she is abstaining from voting.
It said the option of NOTA should be given at the end of the column containing name of the candidates.
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