The Supreme Court Today (April 3rd) said it would hear next week a plea by an NGO seeking cross-verification of the votes cast in EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today said it will convene next week to address a plea submitted by an NGO regarding the cross-verification of votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
A bench led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna conveyed that the plea would be listed either next Tuesday or Wednesday, following a request by advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, emphasizing the urgency of the matter.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, also representing the case, highlighted the proximity of upcoming elections, stressing that if the court does not address the matter promptly, the plea could lose its relevance. Justice Khanna, presiding over a special bench with Justices MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, assured that the court is cognizant of the gravity of the situation and pledged to hear the case in the forthcoming week.
“Mr. Bhushan, after all, how much time this matter will take. You can make submissions in two-hours and we will finish the matter. Ok. Next week,”
-Justice Khanna stated, indicating a swift resolution to the issue.
This development comes after a previous petition filed on July 17 last year by the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ (ADR), where the Supreme Court had sought a response from the Election Commission of India. The petition urged the court to direct both the poll panel and the Central government to ensure that voters can verify through VVPATs that their votes have been accurately recorded.
As the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls are set to commence on April 19, the urgency to address issues related to the election process is increasingly paramount.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on VVPAT
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