SC to hear plea seeking cross verification of VVPAT next week

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would consider a plea by an NGO seeking cross-verification of votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

A bench led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna assured that the plea would be scheduled for hearing next Tuesday or Wednesday. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, emphasized the urgency of the matter.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who also appeared in the case, asserted that with elections approaching, if the plea isn’t heard, it would render the plea ineffective. Justice Khanna, presiding over a special bench with Justice MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, assured that the court is cognizant of the situation and will address the matter next week. “Mr. Bhushan, how much time do you anticipate this matter will require? You can present your arguments in two hours, and we will conclude the matter. Alright. Next week,” Justice Khanna stated.

On July 17 2023, the apex court sought a response from the Election Commission regarding a plea filed by the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ (ADR). The petition entails a request for the poll panel and the Center to guarantee that voters can verify through Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) that their votes have been “counted as recorded”. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to commence from April 19, 2024.