New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Friday, dismissed all petitions calling for a full verification of votes cast via Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, constituting a two-judge bench, also turned down the request to revert to paper ballots in elections.
“We have rejected all requests regarding the reintroduction of paper ballots,” Justice Khanna affirmed during the proceedings.
The writ petitions were filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Arun Kumar Aggarwal and Abhay Bhakchand Chhajed.
During the hearing, the bench issued two directives to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“Following the completion of the symbol loading process, the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) must be sealed and stored for a minimum of 45 days,” the bench stated.
“The burnt memory in the microcontroller of the EVM shall be inspected by a team of engineers post the announcement of results, upon request by candidates numbered 2 and 3. Such a request must be made within seven days following the declaration of results.”
Justice Khanna also urged the electoral body to explore the suggestion for an electronic device to count paper slips and to consider incorporating a unique barcode for each party alongside the symbol.
“The expenses incurred for the verification of the program shall be covered by the requesting candidates. Should any tampering be detected with the EVM, the expenses will be reimbursed,” Justice Khanna emphasized.
“Blindly distrusting a system can lead to baseless suspicions,” Justice Datta remarked, underscoring, “democracy thrives on maintaining harmony and trust among its pillars.”
“By fostering a culture of trust and cooperation, we can amplify the voice of our democracy,” he added.
On April 18, following a two-day hearing, the court had reserved its judgement on the petitions, and subsequently, on Wednesday, sought clarification from the ECI regarding five queries concerning the functioning of EVMs.
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