‘Vague & baseless…’ Here’s why Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking 100% verification of EVM-VVPAT?

The 2 judges connected the bench, Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, authored abstracted yet concurring judgments successful the matter. The tribunal said it had elaborately discussed the protocols and method aspects earlier rejecting the petitions.

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Justice Khanna said successful the tribunal that the prayers for reverting to ballot insubstantial voting, implicit EVM-VVPAT verification, and giving VVPAT slips to voters to enactment successful the ballot container person been rejected. 

“We person rejected each of them, aft referring to the protocol successful place, method aspects and information which is connected record," Justice Khanna said, according to ineligible quality website LiveLaw.

Blindly doubting a system

The tribunal said that portion a balanced position is important, blindly doubting a strategy could pb to unwarranted scepticism. “While balanced position is important, but blindly doubting a strategy tin breed scepticism, and frankincense meaningful disapproval is needed," said Justice Datta connected the ineligible quality website Bar and Bench. 

“Be it judiciary, legislature etc, ideology is each astir maintaining harmony and spot among each the pillars. By nurturing a civilization of spot and collaboration, we tin fortify the dependable of our democracy," Justice Datta said. He said the court's attack successful this substance has been guided by evidence.

Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: What are VVPAT slips & what is the INDIA bloc's request connected this?

The clump of petitions by predetermination watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Abhay Bhakchand Chhajed and Arun Kumar Aggarwal earlier the apical tribunal had sought a absorption to cross-verify each ballot formed connected EVMs with insubstantial slips generated by the VVPAT. As per the existing system, the cross-verification utilizing VVPAT is done for 5 randomly selected EVMs for each assembly seat. 

Vague grounds to uncertainty EVMs, VVPATs

The Election Commission had opposed the pleas saying that it was different effort to formed uncertainty implicit the functioning of EVMs and VVPATs connected 'vague and baseless' grounds. Another statement by the canvass sheet was that counting each VVPAT insubstantial slips manually, arsenic prayed successful the please, would beryllium a clip consuming workout and prone to 'human error' and 'mischief'. The ECI besides said that EVMs are non-tamperable.

The apical tribunal had said earlier that it is not the ‘control elections’ and cannot dictate the functioning of the Election Commission, a law authority. It had besides said it cannot enactment connected specified suspicion.

Also Read: ‘We cannot power the election…,’ says Supreme Court arsenic it reserves verdict connected EVM-VVPAT verification

"If you are predisposed astir a thought-process, past we cannot assistance you... we are not present to alteration your thought process."

In earlier hearings successful the case, the petitioners cited European countries going backmost to ballot voting system. The court, however, observed that India, wherever challengers are different, can’t beryllium compared with European nations. The canvass sheet has been arguing that the existent strategy was foolproof. 

INDIA bloc’s demand

Opposition parties successful the INDIA bloc have been demanding implicit (100 per cent) counting of VVPATs to summation nationalist assurance successful EVMs and to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process.

The VVPAT instrumentality is attached to the ballot portion of the EVM. It  and provides ocular verification for a voter’s ballot by printing a gaffe of insubstantial with the voter’s prime connected it. This is aboriginal utilized to verify votes formed successful 5 randomly selected polling booths per Assembly segment. The Opposition has been demanding that each VVPAT slips beryllium cross-checked with the EVM votes.

This is not the archetypal clip that the substance has reached apical court. On May 21, 2019 the Supreme Court had dismissed a writ petition seeking 100 per cent counting of VVPAT successful the Lok Sabha polls. The effect of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 was announced connected 2 days later. 

Earlier successful the aforesaid month, the apical tribunal had dismissed the reappraisal petition filed by 21 absorption parties to summation verification of VVPAT-EVM to 50 per cent.

What is simply a VVPAT?

Introduced archetypal clip successful India successful the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, VVPAT oregon the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail is fundamentally a ballot-less ballot verification strategy connected with the EVM.

Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Of 88 seats voting contiguous successful Phase 2, BJP had won 54 successful 2019

The VVPAT generates a insubstantial gaffe to beryllium viewed by the elector and allows him/her to verify whether the ballot was formed correctly connected the EVM. The gaffe contains the sanction and awesome of the enactment they person voted for. 

The instrumentality besides has a transparent model for the elector to spot the printed slip. Eventually, the gaffe goes wrong a sealed container of the machine. This can, however, beryllium opened if determination is simply a dispute.

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Published: 26 Apr 2024, 12:34 PM IST