[BREAKING] Supreme Court Dismisses Fresh Appeal On EVM-VVPAT Transparency | CJI Khanna Says: “Issue Already Settled”

Vaibhav Ojha

9 months ago

The Supreme Court Today (April 7) dismissed a petition challenging the EVM vote-counting process, calling the matter settled. The court upheld the Election Commission’s system as transparent and efficient.

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[BREAKING] Supreme Court Dismisses Fresh Appeal On EVM-VVPAT Transparency | CJI Khanna Says: "Issue Already Settled"

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India rejected a petition that raised questions on the vote-counting method used by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The appeal had asked the court to reconsider how votes are counted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). But the court clearly said that this issue has already been discussed and closed in the past.

This petition was filed in the case Hans Raj vs Election Commission of India, where the petitioner said that the current system is not fully transparent. He asked the court to improve the voting and counting process so that elections in India become even more fair and trustworthy.

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However, a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna did not agree to go ahead with the matter again. The court clearly said:

“We have already decided it. We cannot get into this again and again.”

This shows that the Supreme Court believes that it has already looked into the concerns about EVMs and vote counting earlier and found the current system to be reliable.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Decision on EVMs

In its earlier verdict, the Supreme Court had supported the use of Electronic Voting Machines in Indian elections. It said that these machines are trustworthy and there is no strong reason to doubt them. The court had said that the way the Election Commission counts the votes is “sufficient and transparent.”

Just before the Lok Sabha elections in April 2024, another similar petition was filed by a non-government organisation named Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). In that case too, the court dismissed the request for 100% VVPAT verification for all EVM votes.

ALSO READ: VVPAT in Elections: Legal Battles & Technical Challenges Explained!

That bench was also headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justice Dipankar Datta. They said that if people keep questioning the election process without solid reasons, it can create unnecessary doubt in the public mind. The judges warned that this can slow down progress.

They said:

“Indiscriminately questioning the electoral process could lead to unwarranted scepticism and hinder progress.”

What the Election Commission Said

The Election Commission of India continues to say that the current system used for counting votes is fair and secure. They believe that the process, which includes EVMs and VVPATs, is good enough to make sure elections are free and fair.

The Commission also said that there is already a rule in place to randomly check VVPAT slips from five polling stations in each assembly seat.

This helps keep things both “transparent and efficient.”

ALSO READ: “Will Not Entertain Writ Petitions When Based Solely on Suspicion of Rights Infringement”: Justice Datta

How EVMs and VVPATs Work

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are used in elections to quickly and accurately record votes. When a person votes, they press a button next to the name or symbol of their chosen candidate. The machine saves the vote electronically.

To make sure this is done right, there is also a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). This device prints a paper slip that shows the name of the candidate the person voted for. The slip is visible to the voter for a few seconds before it drops into a sealed box. This helps add a level of transparency.

Also, EVMs are very safe because they are standalone machines, which means they are not connected to the internet or any network. This makes them protected from hacking or tampering.