LAHORE, Aug 15: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that a genuine voter could not be deprived of his right to vote merely because his name was not incorporated in electoral rolls for 2000-01 which the Election Commission has made the basis for the local government elections this year.

Comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza and Justice Sayeed Ashhad, an apex court bench also provisionally allowed appellant Abdul Haq to contest for nazim from a union council in Chiniot.

Granting leave to appeal, the bench held that if a voter’s name was included in the electoral rolls for 2001-02 and the rolls were used in the general elections held in October 2002, his or her name would be deemed to have been incorporated in the voters’ list being made the basis of the local body elections.

The counsel for the appellant submitted that the election commission had made the electoral rolls for 2000-01 as the basis for the local government elections and then revised it in 2001-02 to be used for general elections.

According to the counsel, the commission ordered the revision of the electoral rolls for 2000-01 for the local government elections in 2005. The electoral rolls were revised accordingly, but it failed to incorporate the names of many people who were eligible to vote and contest under the electoral rolls of 2001-02. As a result, many genuine voters were left out and made to suffer for no fault of theirs.