SC Rejects Pleas Seeking Return to Ballot Papers & 100% Verification of EVM Votes with VVPAT slips

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed all petitions seeking the complete cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails, or VVPATs. The apex court also rejected the pleas seeking return to the ballot paper system for voting during elections.

Pronouncing the judgment, a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta rejected the request for 100 per cent verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips. “One suggestion which can be examined by the Election Commission of India would be whether there can be electronic machines for counting paper slips and whether there can be a bar code along with the symbols as regards which party,” said Justice Khanna.

However, the Bench passed two directives. The first was that on completion of symbol loading process in VVPATs undertaken on or after 1.5.2024, the Symbol Loading Units (SLU) shall be sealed and secured in container and the sealed container would be kept in strong room along with EVMs for at least 45 days the post results.

The second directive was that the burnt memory semicontroller in 5% EVMs, i.e., the ballot unit, control unit and VVPAT, per assembly segment of the parliament constituency, shall be checked and verified by a team of engineers from the EVM manufacturers.

The VVPAT machine is attached to the ballot unit of the EVM and provides visual verification for a voter’s vote by printing a slip of paper with the voter’s choice on it. This is later used to verify votes cast in five randomly selected polling booths per Assembly segment. The Opposition has been demanding that all VVPAT slips be cross-checked with the EVM votes.

In December, the Opposition’s INDIA bloc had passed a resolution demanding 100% verification of VVPAT slips. They argued that ensuring everyone believes in the fairness of the electoral process outweighs the concerns of a delay in declaring the results.