Scrutiny to be done at candidate’s expense, refund if EVM tampered – SC

New Delhi. EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) is very important in Indian election system. Questions have been raised about this at various times. An appeal was made to the Supreme Court regarding the use of EVMs in elections. The petitioners demanded 100 per cent matching of votes cast from EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). On Friday, the Supreme Court gave a historic verdict by settling the petition in this regard. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court dismissed the petition. However, the Supreme Court gave a major decision and ordered the verification of votes at the expense of the candidates. The court also said that the candidates will have to refund the money if there are allegations of tampering in the EVMs.

A bench of Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutt gave the historic verdict on the EVM-VVPAT petition. The bench ordered that the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) be kept safe for 45 days. The court said, ready-made system cannot be questioned blindly. The Supreme Court has said that a balanced view is important, but to doubt a system can create confusion. It should be criticized meaningfully. The court also said that harmony and trust must be maintained between all the pillars of democracy, including the judiciary and the legislature. Justice Dipankar Dutta said we can strengthen the voice of our democracy by promoting a culture of trust and cooperation.

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Verification of votes at candidates expense
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court gave a historic decision on vote verification. The court said that if a candidate demands verification, then his expenses should be recovered from him. However, if there is a complaint of tampering in the EVM, the money of the concerned candidate will have to be returned. The court ordered to seal the symbol loading unit once the process is over. SLU has been ordered to be kept safe for 45 days after the polls.

EVMs are being tested
The Supreme Court also directed that the candidates will get an option to check the EVM’s microcontroller program by the technical team after the declaration of results. This can be done within 7 days of declaration of election. Second and third placed candidates will be able to do this. Justice Sanjeev Khanna asked the Election Commission to look into the suggestion of electronic machines for counting paper slips and also to see if there could be a barcode for each party along with the electoral symbol.