简体中文
India's independent Election Commission has asked the government not to use indelible ink to check multiple cash exchanges by people at different branches of banks.
In a letter to the Finance Ministry, the commission has said that using indelible ink on fingers of people exchanging old currency notes with new ones might create confusion as five states will hold by-polls Saturday, sources said Friday.
The Election Commission uses indelible ink to mark citizens who have already voted in elections, a practice that ensures that no one can rig elections by voting twice. Under election rules, ink is applied on the left index finger of voters to prevent impersonation.
The Indian government has recently said that indelible ink will be used by banks to mark the right hand, not the left, of people exchanging old notes with new ones to stop multiple exchanges of old notes by some people, thus putting an end to the long queues at banks.
India had last week banned the currency notes of 500 rupees and 1,000 rupees (7.5 U.S. dollars and 15 U.S. dollars respectively), a move it said would help curb the menace of black money and stop the circulation of fake notes by terrorists.
