ANUKUL CHANDRA PRADHANversusUNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

                        ANUKULCHANDRAPRADHAN                                           A
                                           v.
                           UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

                                    JULY 9, 1997

                   (J.S. VERMA, CJ., SUJATA V. MANOHAR                                 B
                            AND B.N. KIRPAL, JJ.)

            Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951-Section 62(5)-'-Denial of
     Right to Vote-Plisoners, persons under custody-Validity of-Held, provision
     is reasonable and valid.                                                          c
            Constitution of lndia-A1ts. 14, 21 & 32-Wiit Petition--Challenging
     constitutional validity of a Statut01y light-Held cannot be made with refer-
     ence to a fundamental right.

           The Petitioner challenged the validity of Section 62(5) of the Repre-       D
     sentation of the People Act, 1951, on the grounds that the provision in as
     much as it debars the prisoners or persons othernise in custody from
     exercising their right to vote violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution,
     that the expression has a wide connotation, that it would include a person
     detained during investigation and on the other hand a person convicted            E
     and sentenced but released on bail is permitted to vote, that it violates
     Article 21 in as much as it denies dignity of life and that person in preven-
..   tive detention cannot be classified separately.

           Dismissing the Writ Petition, this Court
                                                                                       F
           HELD : 1. Classification of persons in and out of prison separately
     is reasonable. In view of the restriction on movement of a prisoner, a
     prisoner cannot claim that he should be provided the facility to vote. A
     provision imposing a restriction on a prisoner to vote cannot be called
     unreasonable. [645-H; 646-A-B]
                                                                                       G
           2. A person who is in prison as a result of his own conduct, and is,
     therefore, deprived of his liberty during the period of his imprisonment
     cannot claim equal freedom of movement, speech and expression with the
     others who are not in prison. [645-G-H]

           3. Preventive detention differs from imprisonment on conviction or H
                                         641
    642                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1997] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.
A during investigation of the crime of an accused which permits separate
    classification of the detenus under preventive detention. Preventive deten·
    tion is to prevent breach of law while imprisonment on conviction or
    during investigation is subsequent to the commission of the crime.
                                                                     [645-D-E]
B         4. The nature of right to vote is a statutory right and not a common
    law right. The right is subject to the limitations imposed by the Statute,
    which can be exercised only in the manner provided by the Statute. The
    challenge to the provision cannot be made with reference to a fundamental
    right in the Constitution. [647-B-C]

C          N.P. Ponnuswami v. Retuming Officer, Namakkal Constituency and
    Ors., [1952] SCR 218 (236); Jumwza Prasad Mukhariya and Ors. v. Lachhi
    Ram and Ors., [1955] 1 SCR 608 (610) and Jyoti Basu v. Debi Ghosal, .
    [1982] 1 sec 691 (696), relied on.

          CRIMINAL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (Crl.) No.
D 137 of 1996.
          Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.

          In-Person for Petitioner.

E         Rajin.der Sachar and Sanjay Parikh for Intervenor.

          Pallav Sisodia for P. Parrneshwaran for the Respondents.

          A. M. Khanwilkar for Election Commission.

F         The Judgment of the Court was delivered by.

           VERMA, CJI. By this petition under Article 32 of the Constitution
    challenge is made to the constitutional validity of sub-section (5) of Section



G
    62 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 62 relates to right
    to vote and is as under :

            "62. Right to vote. • (1) No person who is not, and except as
            expressly provided by this Act, every person who is, for the time
                                                                                     -
            being entered in the electoral roll of any constituency shall be
            entitled to vote in that constituency.

H            (2) No person shall vote at an election in any constituency if he
                       AC. PRADHAN v. U.0.1. [VERMA, CTI.]                      643

                   is subject to any of the disqualifications referred to in section   A
                   16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (43of1950).

.,            (3) No person shall vote at a general election in more than one
                  constituency of the same class, and if a person votes in more
                  than one such cons~ituency, his votes in all such constituencies
                  shall be void.                                                       B

              (4) No person shall at any election vote in the same constituency
                  more than once, notwithstanding that his name may have been
                  registered in the electoral roll for that constituency more than
                  once, and if he does so vote, all his votes in that constituency
                  shall be void.
                                                                                       c
              (5) No person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a
~·
                  prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or
                  transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the
                  police:                                                              D

                  Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to a person
              subjected to preventive detention under any law for the time being
              in force."

            Section 62 contains five sub-sections. Sub-section ( 1) says that every E
     person who is, for the time being entered in the electoral roll of any
     constituency shall be entitled to vote in that constituency. Sub-section (2)
     debars a person from voting at the election if he is subject to any of the
     disqualifications referred to in Section 16 of the Representation of the
     People Act, 1950, which deals with disqualifications for registration in an F
     electoral roll. Sub-section (3) forbids every person from voting in more
     than one constituency of the same class. Sub- section (4) forbids every
     person from voting in the same constituency more than once. Sub-section
     (5) debars a person to vote in an election if he is confined in a prison,
     whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise,
     or is in the lawful custody of the police. The proviso to Sub-section (5) G
     carves out an exception for a person subjected to preventive detention
     under any _law for the time being in force. Thus, a person confined in a
     prison under a sentence of imprisonment or otherwise or in the lawful
     custody of the police is debarred from voting at any election during the
     period of his confinement in the prison, but this bar does not apply to a H
    644                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1997) SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A   person under preventive detention. We are concerned with the
    constitutional validity of sub-section (5).

         The argument of Shri Rajinder Sachar, the learned counsel for the
  petitioner, is that sub-section (5) of Section 62 of the Act violates Articles
  14 and 21 of the Constitution. The submission is that the expression "or
B otherwise" in sub-section (5) of Section 62 has a very wide connotation and
  denies voting right even to under-trials and other persons detained in a
  prison for any reason, including the reason of inability to furnish bail. He
  submitted that the restriction applies to a person in lawful custody of the
  police which would include a person detained during investigation before
C a chargesheet has been filed against him. On the other hand, a person
  convicted and sentenced to imprisonment but released on bail is permitted
  to vote. The learned counsel contended that this is discrimination and
  violates Article 14 of the Constitution. It was further contended by the
  learned counsel that there is violation :ilso of Article 21 inasmuch as the
D restriction placed on the prisoner's right to vote by sub-section (5) of
  Section 62 of the Act denies dignity of life. In substance, the challenge to
  the constitutional validity of sub-section (5) of Section 62 is based primarily
  on Article 14 of the Constitution.

          It is settled that Article 14 permits reasonable classification which     ._
E has a rational nexus with the object of classification. The question is
    whether the classification made by sub-section (5) of Section 62 is
    reasonable or not.

         There are provisions made in the election law which exclude persons
F with criminal background of the kind specified therein, from the election
  scene as candidates and voters. The object is to prevent criminalisation of
  politics and maintain probity in elections. Any provision enacted with a
  view to promote this object must be welcome and upheld as subserving the
  constitutional purpose. The elbow room available to the legislature in
  classification depends on the context and the object for enactment of the
G provision. The existing conditions in which the law has to be applied cannot
  be ignored in adjudging its validity because it is relatable to the object
  sought to be achieved by the legislation. Criminalisation of politics is the
  bane of society and negation of democracy. It is subversive of free and fair
  elections which is a basic feature of the Constitution. Thus, a provision
H made in the election law to promote the object of free and fair elections
                       AC. PRADHAN v. U.O.I. [VERMA, CJI.)                    645

     and facilitate maintenance of law and order which are the essence of A
     democracy must, therefore, be so viewed. More elbow room to the
     legislature for classification has to be available to achieve the professed
'.
     object

           The effect of sub-section (5) of Section 62 of the Act is that any        B
     person who is confined in prison while serving a sentence of imprisonment
     on his conviction for any offence or is under lawful confinement in a prison
     or in a police custody for any reason is not entitled to vote in an election,
     but this restriction does not apply to a person subjected to any kind of
     preventive detention.
                                                                                     c
           The learned counsel; Shri Sachar argues that persons in preventative
     detention cannot be classified separately. That by itself would not result in
     the invalidity of whole of sub-section (5), but can affect the validity only of
     the proviso therein. The challenge in the present c';.se is not merely to the
     proviso, but to the whole of sub-section (5). This argument does not, D
     therefore, advance the petitioner's. case. However, for the purpose of the
     present challenge, it is sufficient to say that preventive detention differs
     from imprisonment on conviction or during investigation of the crime of
     an accused which permits separate classification of the detenus under
     preventive detention. Preventive detention is to prevent breach of law while
     imprisonment on conviction or during investigation is subsequent to the E
     commission of the crime. This distinction permits separate classification of
     a person subjected to preventive detention.

            There are other reasons justifying this classification. It is well known
     that for the conduct of free, fair and orderly elections, there is need to F
     deploy considerable police force. Permitting every person in prison also to
     vote would require the deployment of a much larger police force and much
     greater security arrangements in thi.: conduct of elections. Apart from the
     resource crunch, the other constraints relating to availability of more police
     forces and infrastructure facilities are additional factors to justify the G
     restrictions imposed by sub-section (5) of Section 62. A person who is in
     prison as a result of his own conduct and is, therefore, deprived of his
     liberty during the period of his imprisonment cannot claim equal freedom
     of movement, speech and expression with the others who are not in prison.
     The classification of persons in and out of prison separately is reasonable.
     Restriction on voting of a person in prison results automatically from his H
    646                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1997) SUPP.1 S.C.R.

A confinement as a logical consequence of imprisonment. A person not
    subjected to such a restriction is free to vote or not to vote depending on
    whether he wants to go to vote or not; even he may choose not to go and
    cast his vote. Jn view of the restriction on movement of a prisoner, he
    cannot claim that he should be provided the facility to go and vote.
    Moreover, if the object is to keep persons with criminal background away
B   from the election scene, a provision imposing a restriction on a prisoner to
    vote cannot be called unreasonable.

          It may also be mentioned that the nature of right to vote has been
    held to be a statutory right and not a common law right because of which
C   it depends .on the nature of right conferred by the statute. In N.P.
    Ponnuswami v. Returning Officer, Namakkal Constituency and Ors., [1952]
    S.C.R. 218 at 236, the Constitution Bench held :
                                                                                     .._
                "The right to vote or stand as a candidate for election is not a
            civil right but is a creature of statute or special law and must be
D           subject to the limitations imposed by it."

          Inlumuna Prasad Mukhariya and Ors. v. Lachhi Ram and Ors., [1955]
    1 S.C.R. 608 at 610, the Constitution Bench reiterated :

            "...... The right to stand as a candidate and contest an election is
E           not a common law right. It is a special right created by statute and
            can only be exercised on the conditions laid down by the statute.
            The Fundamental Rights Chapter has no bearing on a right like
            this created by statute......"

          In Jyoti Basu v. Debi Ghosal, [1982) 1 SCC 691 at 696, the law on the
F   point was restated, thus :

                "The natur:.: of the right to elect, the right to be elected and
             the right to dispute an election and the scheme of the constitutionai
             and statutory provisions in relation to these rights have been
             explained by the Court in N.P. Punnuswami v. Returning Officer,
G
             Namakkal Constituency, [1952] S.C.R. 218 and Jagan Nath v. Jas-
             want Singh, [1954] S.C.R. 892. We proceed to state what we have
             gleaned from what has been said, so much as necessary for this
             case.

H               A right to elect, fundamental though it is to democracy, is,
                        AC. PRADHAN v. u.o.r. [VERMA, CTI.]                    647

               anomalously enough, neither a fundamental right nor a common A
               law right. It is pure and simple, a statutory right. So is the right to
               be elected. So is the light to dispute an election. Outside of statute,
               there is no right to elect, creations they are, and therefore, subject
               to statutory limitation".

            In view of the settled law on the point, it must be held that the right B
      to vote is subject to the limitations imposed by the statute which can be
      exercised only in the manner provided by the statute; and that the challenge
      to any provision in the statute prescribing the nature of right to elect cannot
      be made with reference to a fundamental right in the Constitution. The
·-·   very basis of challenge to the validity of sub-section (5) of Section 62 of C
      the Act is, therefore, not available and this petition must fail.

             Consequently, this petition is dismissed. No costs.

      V.M.                                                     Petition dismissed.