Union Minister Kiren Rijiju addresses a press convention at his residence in New Delhi on March 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Election Commission of India (EC) has proposed to vary the principles pertaining to the conduct of elections to facilitate the electronically-transmitted postal ballot system for overseas Indian voters and the matter is being mentioned with the Ministry of External Affairs to “iron out” logistical challenges in implementing it, Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju knowledgeable the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
In a written reply, Mr. Rijiju stated the full variety of overseas voters on January 1, 2023 stood at over 1.15 lakh.
Also learn: Explained | What is the standing of distant voting for NRIs?
“The Election Commission of India has taken up a proposal to amend the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 to facilitate electronically-transmitted postal ballot system for overseas electors. The matter is under discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs to iron out the logistical challenges involved in the implementation of the proposal,” Mr. Rijiju stated in his written response to a query from the BJP’s G.V.L. Narasimha Rao.
The Minister stated that, on the advice of the EC, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to allow overseas electors to solid their vote, both in particular person or by proxy, was handed by the Lok Sabha in August 2018. The Bill had been pending within the Rajya Sabha for consideration however lapsed when the sixteenth Lok Sabha was dissolved.
Also learn: Remote voting: On postal ballot for NRIs
In response to a different query concerning judicial vacancies in High Courts, the Law Minister stated there have been a complete of 334 vacancies in numerous HCs. “Presently, there are a total of 118 proposals recommended by High Court Collegiums, which are at various stages of processing. The recommendations against 216 vacancies in the High Courts are yet to be received from the High Court Collegiums,” he stated.
While filling up of vacancies within the HCs is a steady, built-in and collaborative course of requiring session and approval from numerous constitutional authorities, vacancies maintain on arising on account of retirement, resignation or elevation of judges to the apex courtroom, the Minister stated.
Mr. Rijiju additionally stated that although there isn’t a provision for reservation within the judiciary, the federal government had been requesting HC Chief Justices that due consideration be given to acceptable candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities, and ladies to make sure “social diversity” in appointments to the upper judiciary.
