Shahabuddin to cast vote in Patna

A day ahead of the presidential election, the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted permission to RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin to cast his vote while refusing to give a direction to bar MPs and MLAs lodged in jails from exercising their franchise. 8220;They are voting as people8217;s representatives. We cannot deny them to vote,8221; a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.

8220;They are part of the electoral college,8221; the Bench, also comprising Justices R V Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari, said declining to entertain a petition filed by Z K Faizan seeking to bar jailed MPs and MLAs from casting their ballot in the presidential and vice- presidential polls. The court said if they were barred from voting, the entire constituency electing them would go unrepresented.