Overview
- The Supreme Court, which ruled Thursday, refused a petition to make voting compulsory and to punish people who skip the poll.
- Chief Justice Surya Kant said turnout should rise through public awareness, not coercion.
- The bench held that any mandate or penalty falls in the policy area of Parliament and the executive.
- The judges pointed to real-world hurdles, including working courts on polling days and the risk that daily-wage workers would lose pay.
- The court disposed of Ajay Goel’s plea and let him approach the Election Commission or lawmakers, noting that Indian law treats voting as a statutory right under the 1951 Representation of the People Act.