Supreme Court on VVPAT slips: In a significant development on Thursday, the Supreme Court emphasised the crucial need for sanctity in the electoral process, directing the Election Commission of India to provide detailed insights into measures taken to uphold the integrity of free and fair elections.
The bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta stressed the essence of maintaining trust and confidence in the electoral system.
“This is (an) electoral process. There has to be sanctity. Let nobody have apprehension that something which is expected is not being done,” remarked the bench.
The court, currently hearing petitions advocating for cross-verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with paper slips generated through the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, engaged in a thorough examination of the electoral procedures. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, along with poll officials, responded to the court’s inquiries.
Advocate Nizam Pasha, representing one of the petitioners, advocated for a process allowing voters to retain their VVPAT slips after casting their votes, which would subsequently be deposited in a ballot box. Responding to concerns raised about potential privacy infringements, Pasha underscored the importance of prioritising voters’ rights over privacy concerns.
Echoing similar sentiments, Advocate Prashant Bhushan proposed that the light on the VVPAT machine remains illuminated throughout the voting process to ensure transparency and prevent any compromise on privacy. Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde emphasised the necessity of conducting a separate audit to enhance the credibility of the vote-counting process.
In the midst of discussions, Bhushan referenced a report concerning mock poll results in Kerala, alleging discrepancies favouring a particular political party. The court promptly sought clarification from Singh, who later refuted the claims, asserting the report’s falsehood.
In its elucidation of the voting process, the Election Commission delineated the functioning of EVMs and VVPAT units, emphasising rigorous pre-poll checks conducted in the presence of engineers. Addressing concerns about potential tampering, the poll body affirmed the robustness of its security measures, including the firmware-based operation of voting machines and stringent storage protocols.
In response to queries regarding voter verification and awareness initiatives, the Election Commission outlined its efforts to educate voters about the voting process and ensure random allocation of voting machines to constituencies to mitigate any chances of tampering.
As deliberations continued, the court stressed the importance of maintaining voter trust and called for measures to uphold the integrity of the entire electoral mechanism. In light of submissions from both sides, the court reserved its verdict, acknowledging the significance of the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system in ensuring transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
With petitions advocating for cross-verification of every vote, the Supreme Court’s scrutiny underscores the paramount importance of upholding the sanctity of the electoral process in the world’s largest democracy.
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