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Friday, Aug 12, 2005

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All States to delete absconders from voter lists

Legal Correspondent

Police to furnish list of persons against whom NBWs remained unexecuted.

NEW DELHI T: he Election Commission on Thursday directed Chief Secretaries and Directors-General of Police of all States and Union Territories to delete from voter lists the names of all persons against whom non-bailable warrants (NBWs) could not be executed for more than six months.

No long absences

Sources said that for contesting an election to Parliament or the State Legislature an aspirant must be registered as elector in a constituency. "A person who is absent from his given address for long periods and is not available to or traceable by the police and agencies entrusted with executing the NBW can, as a logical consequence, be presumed to be not ordinarily residing in that address. In such a case, the person cannot validly claim that his name should continue to be registered in the roll at the given address."

In June, the Commission directed the Bihar administration to execute over 23,000 NBWs pending for several months. Later it directed the Electoral Registration Officers to delete the names of those against whom NBWs were pending for over six months. Now the direction was extended to all States and Union Territories.

The Commission noted: "It is common knowledge that many of the proclaimed offenders/absconders have been contesting elections." They evaded arrest, getting their nomination filed by their proposers. It has asked the DGPs to furnish to the Chief Electoral Officers by September 10 a complete list of persons with details of their residential addresses against whom the NBWs remained unexecuted for more than six months. The CEOs will take steps to delete their names by October 10.

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