April 25th 2024.
The much-awaited verdict of the Supreme Court regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is set to be announced on Friday. The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will be delivering the judgement, which has been the subject of much debate and speculation.
During the two-day hearing, the court had made it clear that it cannot interfere with the election process or give directives based on doubts raised about the effectiveness of EVMs. The petitioners had alleged that these machines can be tampered with to manipulate the election results, but the court emphasized that it cannot change the mindset of those who advocate for a return to ballot papers.
The bench also sought clarification from the Election Commission on various aspects of EVMs, including the reprogrammability of microcontrollers. After the hearing concluded on April 18, the verdict was reserved, but the matter was revisited on Wednesday for some clarifications from the EC.
Among the petitioners is the NGO 'Association for Democratic Reforms', which has challenged the EC's decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque one. They argue that this change makes it difficult for voters to verify their votes as the slip is only visible for a short time when the light is turned on.
The petitioners have also appealed for the return to the traditional method of using ballot papers. This comes amidst the ongoing seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, which started on April 19 and will conclude with the announcement of results on June 4.
The Supreme Court's decision on this matter is highly anticipated and will have a significant impact on the future of elections in the country.
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