My Home State’s Population More Than Germany’s”: Judge Discusses Ballot vs EVM in Supreme Court

Justice Dipankar Datta emphasized the importance of trust in the system while cautioning against attempts to undermine it. He discouraged the citation of European examples, stating that they are not applicable in the context of the discussion. During a hearing with Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was representing the Association for Democratic Reforms, Justice Datta questioned the relevance of citing Germany’s population as an example. Justice Sanjiv Khanna also intervened in the discussion to highlight the drawbacks of the ballot voting method and emphasized the need to acknowledge the advancements made in the system.

The discussion revolved around the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and its significance in enabling voters to verify if their vote was cast accurately. This system generates a paper slip that can be used as evidence in the event of a dispute. Amidst apprehensions about the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) system, petitions have been filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal. These petitions call for the cross-verification of every vote and the counting of all VVPAT slips.

Mr. Agarwal’s petition seeks the comprehensive counting of VVPAT slips, while the ADR’s petition urges the court to direct the Election Commission and the Centre to ensure that voters are able to verify through VVPATs that their votes have been accurately recorded. The hearing addressed the concerns of the opposition regarding the EVM system and underscored the importance of transparency in the voting process.