The Supreme Court of India will issue directions on petitions seeking 100% cross-verification of vote counts in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper slips on April 24th. A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna had reserved the case for judgment on April 18th. Various petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms, have argued that transparency in the electoral system is paramount for the 97 crore registered voters in India, regardless of whether EVMs are used or not. However, the Supreme Court has expressed reservations about reverting to paper ballots to restore confidence in the electoral process, emphasizing the accuracy and reliability of EVMs unless compromised by human bias. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has repeatedly assured that EVMs are tamper-proof and has conducted over 41,000 random verifications, matching over four crore VVPAT paper slips. The ECI has emphasized the impossibility of manipulating EVMs at any stage. During the proceedings, the court admonished the petitioners for excessive suspicion and urged against attempts to undermine the electoral system. The ECI has also refuted allegations of inaccurate voting during mock polls in Kerala, asserting that such claims are false. The detailed explainer provided by The Hindu on this issue offers a comprehensive overview of the case and its implications for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
EVM-VVPAT Verification: Supreme Court to Pass Directions Today
