Achi news desk-
GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court, in a hearing on Tuesday, questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the existence of laws prescribing punishment for officials and authorities found manipulating electronic voting machines (EVMs). A bench of Justices Sanjeev Khanna and Dipankar Dutta emphasized the need for severe punishment to deter possible manipulations, and expressed concern over the absence of specific provisions relating to such offences.
The court’s inquiry arose during a batch of petitions related to thorough counting of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips in the elections, with the petitioners advocating matching of all VVPAT slips with EVMs. While deliberating on the practicality of these proposals, the bench highlighted the potential biases and problems arising from human intervention in the polling and counting process.
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Referring to concerns about the reliability of the election system, Judge Datta urged not to undermine the existing system, and emphasized the need to instill trust and faith in the process. The court also rejected requests to return to ballots, citing past problems with the ballot system and indicating a preference for technological advances.
During the proceedings, the court suggested the possibility of independent technical checks of EVMs after the completion of voting to prevent foul play. In addition, she requested clarification regarding the installation of closed-circuit cameras in polling stations.
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In response to the court’s questions, the ECI informed that CCTV cameras are installed in 50 percent of the polling stations. The hearing is scheduled to continue on April 18, when the petition will focus on the use of EVMs alongside VVPAT slips in elections. Lawyers representing the petitioners argued for increased transparency in the election process to allay any doubt in the minds of the citizens.
