Today, On 27th May, The Supreme Court of India dismissed a public interest plea seeking inclusion of the precise time each vote was cast on VVPAT slips. The Court said such technical questions should be decided by the Election Commission of India alone.
The Supreme Court dismissed a public interest plea that sought inclusion of the exact time at which a vote is cast on Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, holding that the matter is best left to the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a technical subject.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice (Surya Kant) heard the case.
The petitioner, Nalla Suresh Reddy reported to be a businessman moved the Court in a PIL seeking a direction to the ECI to amend VVPAT guidelines so that each slip displays the precise time of voting.
ALSO READ: EVM & VVPAT in Elections: Legal Battles & Technical Challenges Explained!
The Court observed,
“Having heard the counsels for the parties, it seems that the issue raised by the petitioner concerns electoral integrity. However, the prayer sought by the petitioner, namely whether such a measure is feasible, is a technical issue falling within the domain of the ECI,”
Accordingly, the Court disposed of the petition without issuing any substantive directions, and directed that the Registry forward it to the Election Commission.
The petition was to be treated as a representation for consideration by the ECI.
The petitioner had argued that in previous elections, there were instances of large or unusual last-minute voter turnouts, and that printing the exact time on VVPAT slips would strengthen transparency and improve electoral auditability.
However, the bench noted that while the petition’s concerns relate to electoral integrity, the specific relief particularly whether it is practically and technically feasible falls within the ECI’s institutional domain.
The plea contended that the existing VVPAT structure creates an audit gap. It pointed out that while Form 17A records voter participation, Form 17C reflects votes polled, and the EVM control unit records vote totals, the VVPAT slip itself does not mention when the vote was cast. It further submitted that this can become problematic during disputes involving late-hour voting, unusual turnout surges, polling beyond scheduled hours, booth-level complaints, or inconsistencies between electronic and paper records.
The petitioner argued that exact time-stamping would provide a neutral audit marker without jeopardizing ballot secrecy, asserting that the time entry would not be linked to the voter’s identity, serial number, or any personally identifiable information.
ALSO READ: Elon Musk Vs Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Over EVM Hacking In India
The plea also suggested that the ECI could introduce safeguards such as time synchronisation, clock certification before mock polls, and secure technical protocols.
The petition was filed through Advocate P Satish Kumar.
An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a device used for voting through electronic means, streamlining the process of casting and counting votes. An EVM consists of two units: the control unit and the balloting unit, which are connected by a cable.
The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was first conceived in 1977, with a prototype developed by Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL) in 1979. The Election Commission of India (ECI) demonstrated it to political parties on August 6, 1980.
Case Title: NALLA SURESH REDDY Vs UNION OF INDIA