New Delhi: India’s Supreme Court, in a recent ruling, has opted not to mandate any alterations to the vote-counting procedure, dismissing pleas for a return to the traditional ballot system or for the comprehensive tallying of all paper slips generated as proof of voting alongside electronic machine records.
The decision arrives amidst the ongoing electoral process, initiated on April 19, with the vote tabulation scheduled for June 4, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi anticipated to secure an unprecedented third consecutive term despite facing a formidable opposition.
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“Blindly discussing any aspect of the system can lead to unwarranted scepticism and impede progress,” emphasized Justice Dipankar Datta, as the two-judge bench delivered a unanimous judgment. “Instead, a critical yet constructive approach guided by evidence and reason should be followed to make room for meaningful improvements and to ensure the system’s credibility and effectiveness.”
India has been utilizing Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) since 2000 for vote recording. The ballot unit links to a VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) unit, generating a paper slip visible to voters through a transparent screen for approximately seven seconds before depositing it in a sealed drop box.
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Currently, the electoral body scrutinizes and aligns VVPAT paper slips at five randomly chosen polling stations within each state legislative assembly constituency, amalgamating several constituencies to form one parliamentary seat. However, critics, including political parties and watchdog organizations like the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), advocate for expanding verification to more booths to enhance transparency.
ADR, a non-governmental civil society organization, petitioned the apex court, advocating for the verification of all EVM votes alongside VVPAT slips.
