Question

In which year did the Supreme Court decide that the citizens of India have the Right to Negative Vote by exercising NOTA?

• A. 2006
• B. 2009
• C. 2013
• D. 2016

Hint:

Remember: India became the 14th country in the world to introduce negative voting.
Currently, NOTA has only a "symbolic" value in India. Even if NOTA receives the highest number of votes, the candidate with the second-highest votes is declared the winner.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
NOTA, or "None of the Above," is a ballot option that allows voters to officially register their disapproval of all candidates in an election.
Before the introduction of NOTA, if a voter did not wish to vote for any candidate, they had to record this in a register, which compromised the secrecy of their vote.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark judgement on September 27, 2013, in the case of \textit{People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) v. Union of India}.
The Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide a button for NOTA in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The bench, led by then Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, stated that the right to vote includes the right to refuse to vote for any of the candidates while maintaining secrecy.
It was argued that NOTA would encourage political parties to field better candidates and foster a more vibrant democracy.
Following this ruling, NOTA was first implemented in the state assembly elections of five states (Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh) in late 2013.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The Supreme Court decided to implement the NOTA option in the year 2013.