SC Junks Pleas On Cross-Verification Of Votes Cast Using EVM With VVPAT

The SC gave its verdict on cross verification of votes cast using EVMs with VVPAT

SC junks pleas on cross-verification of EVM with VVPAT

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The Supreme Court on Friday gave its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. A two-judge bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta junked the pleas seeking the cross-verification. 

Delivering the verdict, the apex court said, "Democracy is about striving to build harmony and blindly distrusting poll process can lead to unwarranted suspicion" and directed the Election Commission of India to seal symbol loading units for 45 days after symbols loaded to EVMs. 

The top court had reserved its verdict in the matter on Wednesday after seeking clarification from the poll body on whether the microcontrollers installed in EVMs are reprogrammable. 

During the hearing, the bench asked the poll panel to clarify as to how many symbol loading units are available and the duration for storage of EVMs. 

The court also sought clarification on storage and security of EVMs. 

The apex court also said that it cannot "control the elections" or issue directions simply because doubts have been raised about the efficacy of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and that it cannot change the thought process of those doubting the advantages of polling machines and advocating in favour of conducting the polls through ballot papers. 

Several prominent organisations and individuals, including NGO 'Association for Democratic Reforms', had moved the Supreme Court seeking reversal of the poll panel's 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque glass through which a voter can see the slip only when the light is on for seven seconds.

The petitioners has also sought an order from the court to revert to the old system of ballot papers. 

In the plea, the petitioners also sought a direction that the voter should be allowed to physically drop VVPAT slip as generated by the VVPAT in a ballot box to ensure that the voter’s ballot has been ‘counted as recorded’.