MUMBAI: In a reply opposing former home minister Anil Deshmukh's plea seeking to be released for a day from prison to enable him to cast his vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told the special PMLA court on Tuesday that he is the main accused in a money laundering case and that prisoners cannot demand voting rights.
The ED also opposed a similar appeal by NCP minister Nawab Malik who was arrested in February in another money laundering case. The ED said, "...it is pertinent to mention that prisoners do not have voting rights under the Representation of Peoples (RP) Act. The right to vote is a statutory right created under Section 62 of the RP Act and the law is settled that the right to vote being a statutory right is subject to the restrictions prescribed in the RP Act."
