SC backs EVMs, rules out revival of paper ballots

CategoryPolity

Last Updated29/04/2024

The Supreme Court recently upheld the electronic voting machine (EVM) system of polling and refused a plea to revive paper ballots.

The court said that “blind distrust” of an institution or a system breeds unwarranted scepticism and impedes progress.
Court also stated that it is necessary to exercise care and caution when we raise aspersions on the integrity of the electoral process
- This can reduce citizen participation and confidence in elections which is essential for a healthy and robust democracy.
It further dismissed the plea for cross-verification of all EVMs and VVPATs across the country.
- Only 5% of EVM-VVPAT counts are randomly verified in any constituency.
The court refused to strike down Rule 49 MA of the Conduct of Election Rules, which exposes a voter to penal proceedings under Section 177 of the Indian Penal Code for submission of false information if his complaint of mismatch between the votes cast and votes counted is not proved.

Unlike paper ballots, EVMs negate the major problem of invalid votes because voting is done by pressing a button.
The EVMs have effectively eliminated booth capturing by restricting the rate of vote casting to four votes per minute
EVMs reduce paper usage and alleviate logistical challenges, along with administrative convenience by expediting the counting process and minimising errors.

EC in it’s affidavit said manual counting of VVPAT slips is cumbersome, it is difficult to expedite the process
- The court suggested that the Election Commission (EC) explore the possibility of devising an “electronic machine” to count the VVPAT paper slips.
The court also suggested that political parties could be identified with unique bar codes, along with their symbols.
From May 1, 2024, Symbol Loading Units should be sealed and secured after the process of loading symbols into VVPATs is over.
Burnt or uploaded memory of the microcontrollers of 5% of EVMs can be checked and verified by a team of engineers from the EVM manufacturers in case of any suspicion of tampering.
- Such an exercise would be initiated on the basis of a written request from candidates who have come second or third in the vote tally.