The Election Commission of India(ECI) requested the Supreme Court of India, in the year 2009 that it wished to offer the voters a "none of the above" option on ballots, which the government had opposed. The People's Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL), a non-governmental organization, filed a public-interest litigation statement in support of this. 
 
The Supreme Court of India in an order ruled that the right to register a "none of the above" vote in elections should apply, and ordered the Election Commission of India to provide such a button in the Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs), noting that it would increase participation of voters in the election process. 
 
The Election Commission of India also clarified that even though votes cast as NOTA are counted, they are considered as invalid votes so they will not change the outcome of the election process and NOTA votes  are not taken into account for calculating the total valid votes and will not be considered for determining the forfeiture of deposit. 
 
In the Parliamentary elections of 2014, NOTA polled 1.1% of the votes, counting to over 6,000,000. 
 
The specific symbol for NOTA was introduced in September 2015, which is a ballot paper with a black cross across it. This symbol is designed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.