The Supreme Court has upheld the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Indian elections, dismissing pleas for a return to paper ballots or 100 per cent verification of votes through Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. The court, however, introduced a significant provision allowing candidates the option to request verification of a proportion of EVMs by a team of engineers post-result announcement.
Delving into the technical aspects and existing protocols surrounding EVMs, the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta delivered concurring judgments. They emphasised the need for a balanced perspective and cautioned against unfounded scepticism, advocating instead for a critical yet constructive approach guided by evidence and reason.
Justice Datta stated, "By nurturing a culture of trust and collaboration, we can strengthen the foundations of our democracy." Echoing similar sentiments, Justice Khanna suggested exploring the possibility of incorporating barcodes alongside symbols for electronic counting of paper slips, a suggestion for consideration by the Election Commission.
Furthermore, the court issued directives regarding the handling of Symbol Loading Units (SLUs) and mandated the verification of burnt memory semi-controllers in a percentage of EVMs upon written request by candidates, with expenses to be borne by the requester if tampering is not detected, and refunded if tampering detected.
