‘Already decided’: SC junks petition on tallying of EVM votes with VVPATs

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 29

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking tallying of votes cast through EVMs with VVPAT slips, saying the matter has already been decided. “A coordinate Bench has already taken a view,” a Bench led by Justice BR Gavai told the petitioner.

As the petitioner’s counsel said the issue was of transparency and the top court had also suggested certain safeguards, the Bench said, “Another Bench has already passed an order two days back.” The Supreme Court had on April 26 dismissed PILs seeking return to the paper ballot system or a 100% cross-verification of votes cast through EVMs with VVPAT slips even as it issued certain directions to the Election Commission to strengthen the current EVM system.

“The weakness of the ballot paper system is well known and documented… keeping in view the vast size of the Indian electorate of nearly 97 crore, we would be undoing the electoral reforms by directing reintroduction of the ballot papers,” a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta had said.

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