Supreme Court on Friday dismissed petitions seeking 100% cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, in their ruling, underscored the essence of democracy, emphasizing the importance of harmony and trust among its various pillars. The decision reflects the Court’s recognition of the need to balance electoral integrity with public confidence in the democratic process.
The Supreme Court has issued directives to the Election Commission concerning the handling of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). It mandates that after loading symbols into an EVM, the symbol loading unit must be sealed in containers in the presence of polling agents and candidates. These sealed containers, holding the SLUs, should be stored with the EVMs for a minimum of 45 days post-results declaration.
Additionally, the court stipulates that 5% of EVMs, including the Control Unit, Ballot Unit, and VVPAT, must undergo verification by engineers from manufacturing companies after result announcements. Candidates must submit a written request within seven days of results for this verification, with expenses covered by them. If tampering is discovered, expenses will be reimbursed.
In its judgment, Justice Datta emphasizes the importance of balanced perspective and meaningful criticism to uphold democracy’s pillars. He underscores the significance of nurturing trust and collaboration among these pillars to strengthen democracy’s voice, guided by evidence.
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Previously, the court expressed its inability to “control the elections” solely based on doubts about EVM efficacy, resisting calls to revert to ballot papers. It sought clarifications from the Election Commission on EVM functioning during hearings, including inquiries about reprogrammable microcontrollers. Despite initially reserving its verdict on the matter on April 18, the court revisited it for clarifications from the EC.
One petitioner, the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’, challenges the EC’s 2017 decision to replace transparent glass on VVPAT machines with opaque glass. They advocate for a return to the old system of ballot papers.
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