Supreme Court asks attorney general to revert on feasibility on NRIs postal ballots

March 29, 2014

New Delhi, Mar 29: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and Election Commission on a plea by NRI voters seeking postal ballots in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The apex court has asked the Attorney General to inform it by April 7 the feasibility of postal ballot for registered NRI voters to vote from abroad.

"A SC bench comprising Justice KS Radhakrishnan and Justice Vikramajit Sen said, 'The issue is serious but it is too late for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,'" said advocate Haris Beeran. "After we said that most of the NRI voters are from Kerala and the election in the state is on April 10, the bench asked the attorney general to get back to the court by April 7 on the feasibility of postal ballots for NRIs," said Haris.

The TOI story published on March 10 said for the first time non-resident Indians will be voting in the general elections. A total of 11,844 NRIs have enrolled via post, but they will have to travel to their constituency to cast votes on the polling day.

Kerala accounts for the bulk of the NRI voters at 11,488, while Punjab with 138 and Tamil Nadu with 112 come a far second and third, respectively. The number of NRI voters not only point to migration patterns but also indicate levels of political awareness. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the largest number of general voters, has no registered NRI voters.

The petition was filed on March 15 by V P Shamsheer, a native of Kozhikode in Kerala, seeking postal ballot for NRI voters. The writ petition was filed in public interest under Article 32 of the Constitution so as to allow the non resident Indians (NRI's) working abroad to cast their votes from their place of employment.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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