All EVMs in Lok Sabha poll to have paper audit trail
TNN | Feb 6, 2019, 06:59 IST
All voters can verify their votes in the LS poll, the EC told the Madras HCCHENNAI: The Election Commission of India on Tuesday told the Madras high court that all the electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be matched with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems in the coming Lok Sabha election.
“Instructions have been issued already to use VVPAT systems with all the EVMs through which a voter can verify his votes during the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” the commission said on Tuesday.
The EC made the submission before a division bench of Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad on a PIL moved by advocate S Packiaraj seeking direction to attach VVPAT systems to all EVMs for the Lok Sabha election.
Recording the submissions, the bench said: “Apprehension of the writ petitioner is ill-founded. The ECI as stated supra has implemented the order of Supreme Court. There is no manifest illegality in the impugned communication. Writ petition deserves to be dismissed.”
‘Not even 50% of EVMs used are attached with VVPAT’
According to the petitioner, ECI introduced VVPAT system only after the intervention of the Supreme Court in 2013 in view of largescale allegations about EVMs being tampered to favour a particular party or a candidate. But even after expiry of six years, such systems are not attached with all the EVMs. So far, not even 50% of EVMs used during an election are attached with VVPAT, advocate R C Paul Kanagaraj, counsel for the petitioner, said.
“Even after introduction of EVM, the election commission received several complaints that officials used to help the ruling party candidates. Political parties too complained that the EVMs had been tampered with at the time of fixing the symbols,” he said.
When the plea came up for hearing, the commission submitted that the Supreme Court had directed the ECI to implement the VVPAT systems only in phased manner. However, during an all-party meeting conducted in 2017, it was assured that such systems would be attached to all EVMs during 2019 Lok Sabha election and as per the assurance due instructions has been given to all the authorities concerned, ECI said.
“Instructions have been issued already to use VVPAT systems with all the EVMs through which a voter can verify his votes during the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” the commission said on Tuesday.
The EC made the submission before a division bench of Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad on a PIL moved by advocate S Packiaraj seeking direction to attach VVPAT systems to all EVMs for the Lok Sabha election.
Recording the submissions, the bench said: “Apprehension of the writ petitioner is ill-founded. The ECI as stated supra has implemented the order of Supreme Court. There is no manifest illegality in the impugned communication. Writ petition deserves to be dismissed.”
‘Not even 50% of EVMs used are attached with VVPAT’
According to the petitioner, ECI introduced VVPAT system only after the intervention of the Supreme Court in 2013 in view of largescale allegations about EVMs being tampered to favour a particular party or a candidate. But even after expiry of six years, such systems are not attached with all the EVMs. So far, not even 50% of EVMs used during an election are attached with VVPAT, advocate R C Paul Kanagaraj, counsel for the petitioner, said.
“Even after introduction of EVM, the election commission received several complaints that officials used to help the ruling party candidates. Political parties too complained that the EVMs had been tampered with at the time of fixing the symbols,” he said.
When the plea came up for hearing, the commission submitted that the Supreme Court had directed the ECI to implement the VVPAT systems only in phased manner. However, during an all-party meeting conducted in 2017, it was assured that such systems would be attached to all EVMs during 2019 Lok Sabha election and as per the assurance due instructions has been given to all the authorities concerned, ECI said.
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