Today, the Supreme Court is set to resume its proceedings on petitions advocating for the complete verification of EVM votes through VVPAT slips. A bench led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will hear the pleas submitted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and others. In response to ADR’s petition, the Election Commission of India had cited logistical challenges in implementing full VVPAT verification.
Previously, on Tuesday during a hearing on petitions regarding the Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, the Supreme Court requested the Election Commission to furnish information regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs). However, the Court dismissed the possibility of reverting to paper ballots, emphasizing that the judiciary remembers past experiences.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta presided over the bench during the hearing, which centered on petitions advocating for cross-verification of votes using the VVPAT system. This system allows voters to verify the accuracy of their votes through a paper trail. The VVPAT produces a paper slip visible to the voter, which is then stored in a sealed cover for potential disputes.
