'EVMs not tampered...on win?': SC dismisses plea for paper ballots
What's the story
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking the return of paper ballot voting in elections. The petitioner, KA Paul, had raised concerns over the possibility of tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He had cited similar concerns raised by political leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. However, the court rejected these claims as they were inconsistent in nature.
Proposal scrutiny
Court questions petitioner's motives and proposals
The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale, was skeptical of Paul's proposals. They noted his history of filing "interesting PILs" and questioned his involvement in politics considering his humanitarian background. The bench also questioned Paul's suggestion that India should follow countries such as the United States in using paper ballots instead of EVMs, asking him why he didn't want India to be different from the rest of the world.
EVM defense
Election Commission defends EVMs, dismisses tampering concerns
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has always defended the security and robustness of EVMs. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar emphasized the transparency and public participation in India's electoral process, challenging critics to point out any other process with similar levels of disclosure and participation. Despite concerns raised by several political parties after election defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra, the ECI found no evidence of procedural compromise in these cases.