Supreme Court’s 4 Questions to Election Commission Regarding VVPATs and EVMs in Lok Sabha Elections

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta requested an official from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to appear in court at 2 pm to address a few inquiries. The court emphasized the need for clarification on the installation of the microcontroller in the controlling unit or the VVPAT. The bench will convene at 2 pm for this matter, following extensive interaction with a poll panel official during the last hearing. During a previous hearing, senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the poll panel, stated that EVMs are standalone machines and emphasized the potential for human error while asserting their tamper-proof nature.

Justice Datta stressed the importance of allaying apprehensions and ensuring the sanctity of the electoral process. In response to the Election Commission’s submissions, the Supreme Court cautioned petitioners against excessive suspicion, urging them to appreciate and not criticize every aspect. The bench also expressed reservations about the manual counting process and highlighted the significance of upholding the electoral system’s integrity. The VVPAT, which allows voters to confirm the accuracy of their cast vote and provides a paper trail for verification, has been a focal point in the petitions filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and activist Arun Kumar Agarwal.

Amid concerns about the EVM system, the petitions advocate for cross-verification of every vote and the counting of all VVPAT slips. The ADR’s petition seeks the court’s intervention to ensure that voters can verify their votes through VVPATs.