The government plans to introduce a bill in Parliament soon to make it possible for non-resident Indians to vote through a proxy, Attorney General KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court on Friday. The court gave the government 12 weeks to finish the exercise, according to Live Law.

Making voting possible for NRIs requires an amendment to the Representation of People Act, which the government will table in the upcoming Winter Session, Venugopal said. It will propose allowing NRIs to appoint a person who lives in their constituency to vote on their behalf.

The Supreme Court was hearing separate petitions by NRI groups, which have been pending for three years. In July, it had asked the Centre to submit a plan on how it intends to let NRIs vote in elections, after which the Cabinet cleared a proposal on the matter, to be taken forward through an amendment.

Currently, only service personnel are allowed to vote by proxy. Overseas electors will have to appoint a new proxy for each fresh election, unlike service personnel who can appoint a permanent proxy, The Indian Express had reported earlier.

Earlier this year, the Election Commission had told the Centre that it can initiate the process of granting voting rights for NRIs within three months of the law being introduced, the Hindustan Times had reported.