SC seeks EC view on EVM tampering plea
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court sought the Election Commission’s response on a petition that raised doubts over the security features of electronic voting machines.
The EC has always maintained that the EVMs were tamper-proof but opposition parties, especially those that lost the recent state elections, have openly questioned the claim, alleging that the software in the machines could be easily tinkered with.
BSP leader Mayawati had blamed manipulation of the machines for her party’s rout in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Some parties have even demanded a return to the old practice of using paper ballots.
On Friday, the top court was dealing with a public interest litigation which sought testing of the EVMs by software experts. The SC had earlier directed that voting using EVMs be accompanied by a paper trail to ensure that there was no foul play.
The election commission has yet to implement it throughout the country, though it has introduced the process on a limited scale through pilot projects. In his petition, advocate Manohar Lal Sharma demanded that the court order the CBI to register an FIR into allegations of EVM tampering, but a bench led by Chief Justice JS Khehar rejected that plea.
“The EC has always claimed that EVMs are reliable and safe. But every time there are elections, there are always allegations that they have been rigged,” Sharma told the bench, seeking an early hearing.
He also sought implementation of the top court order on the paper trail to prevent rigging and ensure verification of votes when doubts were raised about the results. An EVM, which is not tested till date, cannot be relied upon as tamper proof, he argued.
Despite the Supreme Court’s 2013 order to implement the voter verifiable paper audit trail, the Election Commission seems reluctant to do so, he alleged.
The EC has always maintained that the EVMs were tamper-proof but opposition parties, especially those that lost the recent state elections, have openly questioned the claim, alleging that the software in the machines could be easily tinkered with.
BSP leader Mayawati had blamed manipulation of the machines for her party’s rout in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Some parties have even demanded a return to the old practice of using paper ballots.
On Friday, the top court was dealing with a public interest litigation which sought testing of the EVMs by software experts. The SC had earlier directed that voting using EVMs be accompanied by a paper trail to ensure that there was no foul play.
The election commission has yet to implement it throughout the country, though it has introduced the process on a limited scale through pilot projects. In his petition, advocate Manohar Lal Sharma demanded that the court order the CBI to register an FIR into allegations of EVM tampering, but a bench led by Chief Justice JS Khehar rejected that plea.
“The EC has always claimed that EVMs are reliable and safe. But every time there are elections, there are always allegations that they have been rigged,” Sharma told the bench, seeking an early hearing.
He also sought implementation of the top court order on the paper trail to prevent rigging and ensure verification of votes when doubts were raised about the results. An EVM, which is not tested till date, cannot be relied upon as tamper proof, he argued.
Despite the Supreme Court’s 2013 order to implement the voter verifiable paper audit trail, the Election Commission seems reluctant to do so, he alleged.
