SC Rejects Pleas Seeking 100% Cross-Verification of EVM Votes with VVPAT Slips

SC rejects requests for 100% cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips

SC Rejects Pleas Seeking 100% Cross-Verification: In an April 26 ruling, the Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking cross-verification of votes cast in electronic voting machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).

A barcode on the voting slips and electronic machines for counting votes were suggested by the apex court.

Indians began voting for the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, and votes will be counted on June 4.

Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta announced the Supreme Court's decision.

Check Out: Free Dosa, Beer, And Taxi Ride: All The Free Offers For Bengaluru Voters On Voting Day

Due to doubts about the reliability of EVMs, the Supreme Court said it could not "control the elections".

On a set of petitions alleging that EVMs could be tampered with to influence elections, the court reserved its decision.

We have given two directions. The first is to seal the Symbol Loading Unit after it has been loaded with symbols. The SLU should be stored for at least 45 days."

After the declaration of results, a team of engineers will check the burnt memory in the microcontroller EVM on a request from candidates in serial numbers 2 and 3.

Check Out: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress Announces 8 Candidates From Haryana

“The expenses for the verification (of the program) to be borne by the candidates making the request, in case the EVM is found to be tampered, the expenses will be refunded,” said the Supreme Court.

Despite the court's ruling, those who doubt the advantages of voting machines and advocate a return to paper ballots cannot change their minds.

Furthermore, the bench took note of the answers it received from the Election Commission to five questions pertaining to EVMs, including whether the microcontrollers in them could be reprogrammed.

After relisting the plea for clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI), a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta reserved judgment on April 24.

Check Out: Nitin Gadkari Faints During The Rally In Maharashtra, Updates On His Health, Says 'I'm Healthy Now'

Among other things, the court asked the ECI about the availability of Symbol Loading Units (SLU) and the safety of microcontrollers.

Following the appearance of various lawyers representing the petitioners, an official from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and senior advocate Maninder Singh, the apex court reserved the case for judgment.

Due to the size of the country and other factors, the SC dismissed the petitioners' request to return to paper ballots on April 16.

An NGO called the Association for Democratic Reforms has requested that the poll panel reverse its 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque glass through which voters can only see the slip when the light is on for seven seconds.

Check Out: Amit Shah Takes Aim At Sam Pitroda Inheritance Tax Remark, Says 'Congress Exposed'

Additionally, the petitioners want the court to revert to the old ballot paper system.

We are in our 60s now, and we know what used to happen when there were paper ballots." Dipankar Dutta pointed out that West Bengal has more people than Germany.

For some time, VVPAT systems have been questioned for their reliability.

There have been many instances of malfunctioning printers, paper jams, and discrepancies between electronic and paper records cited by critics.

The matter has reached the top court before.

The Supreme Court directed the election commission to increase the number of EVMs subjected to VVPAT physical verification from one to five per assembly segment in a Lok Sabha constituency on April 8, 2019.

Check Out: Lok Sabha Elections: BJP Clinches First Seat As Surat Candidate Wins Unopposed