SC: Decide on advancing voting during Ramzan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to pass the necessary orders in a representation which sought voting time to be advanced from 7 am to 5 am in the rest of the phases of general elections scheduled during the month of Ramzan.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna passed this order in a public interest litigation filed by two lawyers seeking an extension of polling hours during the 5th, 6th and 7th phases of the general elections in Ramzan .

They said the holy month of fasting is likely to commence on May 6, 2019 (or May 7, 2019, if the moon is not sighted on May 5, 2019).

During this month, a large percentage of the voting population would be fasting and would not be consuming food or water starting approximately 1.5 hours before dawn till dusk every day.

The petitioners said in this intense heat, it would be difficult for Muslim voters to queue up at the polling booths during the daytime.