| Don't register armed forces personnel as voters in JK, North East: SC | | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Mar 9: The Supreme Court of India has backed the decision of the Union government not to register armed forces personnel as general voters in Jammu and Kashmir and northeast states.
The top court said the exercise "may result in change of demographic character" of the area affecting the local populace and electoral profile, a national daily reported.
"There are some areas where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is in force. There is a simmering tension between the forces and the local population, and therefore giving them such a facility could lead to exacerbating tension," the report said.
It said the registering of forces personnel as voters would involve "revealing sensitive information" on numerical strength and exact location of defence forces concentration. This may have "adverse security implications."
Noting right to vote was of "paramount importance", the bench asked the Centre to explore possibilities of providing electronic voting facility to personnel in far-flung areas.
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