Today(on 18th April), The Supreme Court of India has reserved judgment on petitions seeking cross-verification between EVM and VVPAT votes. The decision was made by a bench led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.
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NEW DELHI: Today(on 18th April), the Supreme Court of India has decided to reserve its judgment concerning a series of petitions that call for a comprehensive cross-verification process between votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). This significant advancement was presided over by a bench led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.
The petition challenges a 2017 decision by the Election Commission to replace transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque one. This alteration limits voters’ ability to see their vote confirmation slip unless illuminated by light for seven seconds.
The apex court was the stage for arguments and submissions from a diverse group of stakeholders. Lawyers representing the petitioners passionately made their case, highlighting the essential need for an unfailing verification process to ensure electoral integrity. The court also heard from an Election Commission of India (ECI) official and Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the ECI, both of whom offered their perspectives on the matter.
A significant moment in the proceedings came when the court dismissed a request from the petitioners advocating for a return to the traditional paper ballot system.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, reflecting on the practical challenges of such a transition, pointed out-
“What are the current populations of Germany and India? We are in our 60s and recall the practices during elections when paper ballots were prevalent.”
Justice Dipankar Datta further added a personal note by comparing the population of his home state, West Bengal, to that of Germany, emphasizing the impracticality of reverting to paper ballots due to India’s vast population and logistical considerations.
Justice Datta also appealed for trust in the electoral system, stating-
“We should place trust and faith in someone. Let’s refrain from undermining the system in this manner.”
The reliability and efficacy of the VVPAT system have been under scrutiny for some time. Critics have pointed out several issues, such as malfunctioning printers, paper jams, and mismatches between the electronic records and paper slips, raising concerns about the system’s reliability.
Introduced in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, VVPAT is a mechanism that allows voters to verify their votes. It is connected to the EVM and generates a paper slip with the name and symbol of the candidate selected. This slip is visible to the voter, providing an opportunity to confirm their choice, thereby adding an additional layer of verification to the electronic voting process.
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On April 8, 2019, the court directed the Election Commission to increase the count of EVMs subject to VVPAT verification from one to five for each assembly segment in a Lok Sabha constituency.