Supreme Court Hears the VVPAT Case, Urges Election Commission for Detailed Plan on Ensuring Fair Elections

The Supreme Court on Thursday underscored the importance of maintaining integrity in the electoral process, urging the Election Commission of India to provide a detailed account of measures taken to ensure free and fair elections. During the hearing, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta stressed the significance of upholding sanctity in electoral proceedings, asserting that all necessary steps must be taken to alleviate any concerns regarding the conduct of elections. The court is currently reviewing petitions advocating for cross-verification of votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with paper slips generated by the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, along with poll officials, are present to address the court's inquiries.

Advocate Nizam Pasha, representing one of the petitioners, proposed that voters should be permitted to retain their VVPAT slip after voting and deposit it in a separate ballot box. Responding to concerns about privacy, Pasha argued that voter rights should not be compromised in the name of privacy protection. Advocate Prashant Bhushan suggested that the light on the VVPAT machine remain illuminated throughout the voting process, as opposed to the current duration of seven seconds, to enhance transparency. He emphasized the importance of maintaining visibility of the paper slip cutting and falling to ensure no compromise on privacy.

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde advocated for a separate audit process to enhance the credibility of the vote-counting process. Bhushan also referenced a report on mock poll results in Kerala, highlighting discrepancies that emerged during testing. In its explanation of the voting process, the Election Commission clarified that the VVPAT unit prints a paper slip visible to the voter for seven seconds before it falls into a sealed box. The machines undergo pre-polling checks in the presence of engineers to ensure functionality.

Regarding concerns about tampering, the Election Commission stated that voting machines are kept in sealed strongrooms under the supervision of political party representatives. The commission assured that once polling concludes, the machines are sealed again in the presence of candidates and opened on counting day in their presence.

The VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) system allows voters to verify if their vote was accurately cast and provides a paper slip for verification in case of disputes. Amidst opposition questioning the reliability of EVMs, petitions advocate for cross-verification of every vote cast. Currently, VVPAT slips from five randomly selected EVMs in each Assembly segment are verified.