New Delhi, April 26 (Press ki taquat bureau): The Supreme Court, on Friday, dismissed requests for a full cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta delivered separate but concurring judgments on the matter, rejecting all petitions, including those advocating a return to ballot papers for elections.
Following the reservation of the verdict on April 18, a Bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta summoned a senior Election Commission official on April 24 to seek clarifications on the functioning of EVMs and VVPAT. After discussions with the EC official, the Bench decided on Wednesday against reverting to the ballot paper system and expressed intentions to explore ways to enhance the EVM system.
The Supreme Court, while emphasizing its lack of authority to control elections, questioned the feasibility of issuing an order based solely on suspicion regarding the 100% cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with VVPAT. The Court highlighted that it cannot dictate terms to another constitutional body like the Election Commission and underscored the importance of evidence over mere suspicion.
