Supreme Court Order on Petitions Seeking Complete Count of VVPAT Slips in Lok Sabha Elections

The Supreme Court, consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, recently heard petitions related to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). The bench had reserved judgment after a nearly two-day hearing during which the Election Commission of India (ECI) provided insights into the functioning of EVMs.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the poll panel, emphasized that EVMs are standalone machines and cannot be tampered with, but acknowledged the possibility of human error. Justice Datta stressed the sanctity of the electoral process and urged the Election Commission to allay apprehensions both within and outside the court.

The Supreme Court cautioned petitioners against excessive suspicion, emphasizing the need to appreciate the Election Commission’s efforts and refrain from baseless criticism. The bench expressed reservations about the manual counting process, calling the electoral process in India a “humongous task” and cautioned against efforts to undermine the system.

The VVPAT allows voters to verify if their vote was cast correctly, generating a paper slip that can be used for verification in case of disputes. The petitions, filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal, call for cross-verification of every vote and the counting of all VVPAT slips.

Amid concerns and questions raised by the Opposition regarding the EVM system, the petitions seek the court’s direction to ensure that voters can verify their votes through VVPATs.