CHENNAI: The Chief Bench of the Madras High Court refused to allow the railway employees to cast their votes through postal ballots as the process has already commenced for the 2024 parliament election.

The first division bench comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad heard a plea seeking to include the railway employees to cast their votes through postal ballots.

The standing counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) submitted that no response was received from the Southern Railway in this regard, now the deadline to apply for postal ballots is also over. It is not possible to print additional postal ballots as the process for postal ballots has already commenced, said the counsel.

The counsel for the southern railway submitted that it will be considered granting holiday for the railway employees to enable them to cast their votes.

After the submission the bench refused to direct the ECI to print additional postal ballots as the process had already commenced and disposed of the petition.

Petitioner V Ram Kumar from Madurai moved the petition stating that the railway employees could not cast their votes, since they are posted in various locations and sought the HC to direct the ECI to allow them to cast the postal ballots.