The Election Commission on Monday supported a petition before the Supreme Court seeking a right for people to cast "negative votes" so as to enable them to say that none of the candidates in the fray were worth their vote.

EC counsel S Muralidhar gave this statement before a Bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti and Justice G P Mathur, which jokingly said, "EC is hand-in-glove with the petitioner."

The Bench also issued a notice to Attorney General Milon Banerjee and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.

The court asked Muralidhar to bring on record materials pertaining to provisions on negative vote adopted in other countries so that an opinion could be formed.

The petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties through advocate Sanjay Parikh stated that at present, the voter who wanted to exercise the right not to vote had to tell the returning officer, who would register his name and address, thus violating the code of secret ballot.

Keeping this in mind, the EC had written to the Centre, in 2001 and 2004, suggesting amendments to the Representation of People Act so that provision could be made in the ballot papers and the electronic voting machines to allow for casting of negative vote.