India's election body gives clean chit to Modi's speech on anti-satellite missile test

NEW DELHI, March 30 (Xinhua) -- India's election commission has given a clean chit to Prime minister Narendra Modi on his surprise address to the nation announcing successful test-firing of an anti-satellite missile, officials said Saturday.

The poll panel said Modi's announcement about the development did not violate provisions of the model code of conduct that came into effect in the country on March 10.

"The poll panel took the decision based on the report of a committee of officers which concluded that Prime minister's address did not violate the provisions for the party in power in the poll code," an official said.

India on Wednesday shot down one of its satellites in space with an anti-satellite missile, thus becoming the fourth nation in the world to have achieved such feat after the United States, Russia and China.